Bite
by NavyBlueWings
Summary: Two/Three shot. Sasuke, in need of money, agrees to work at Konoha Camp. What looks like the summer from hell turns out to be the most important two months of his life when a certain blond sneaks into his head. SasuNaru, lemon in later chaps. AU. R&R !
1. Bite

Hello! Alright, so I KNOW I've got no life. You can all see that by the random surge of stories from me! Haha, well to answer that….I live in New England, and during my college's winter break, we've had like, 6 snow storms. So I really can't go anywhere without my car sliding all over the place. And so I'm stuck here, writing stories for you! Okay, so to be honest, I'm not sure if this is going to be a one shot or not. Knowing me and my need to make plot and sense time wise, it won't be. Probably be a two-shot. But anyways! This is just something…well to be honest, I thought of it in the shower –sweat drops-. SO enjoy!

**Warning: ****This is a boyxboy story. If you do not like this sort of story, please do not read. Also, there will be lime and lemon(s) in this story, so if you do not like these, or do not know what they are, please do not read this story. Other than that, have fun! **

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Naruto. But I do own a cat named Hashbrown if ****Masashi Kishimoto wants to trade! No? Didn't think so…-sighs- **

Bite

He didn't see it coming. Despite all of his training, all of his skills, every perk there was to going through the days of camp counseling training did nothing in that one moment of weakness. He was too focused on the people around him. One girl, around the age of 11, was complaining about the gum in her hair, which couldn't be pulled out or else it would get worse. A boy to his right was snickering at said girl and staring at the stream they were walking near with a mischievous glint in his eyes. There was another evil plan bubbling into his head. The other two were chatting away through the nature walk, running ahead to gaze at the wonders of nature. And two teenage girls, who were supposed to be watching their own kids, were giggling from behind him. He inwardly grimaced at the knowledge of what part of his body they were looking at. Shikamaru was no help either, he just kept muttering under his breath about the 'troublesome kids'. With a group of four kids, and no help from his co-counselor, there was just no way to keep his eyes on every one of them _and _take in his surroundings. So he was taken completely off guard. He hadn't seen a thing.

But Naruto had.

"Sasuke!!" Jerking back at his name, the call was too late. A sharp pain filled his left ankle as the ground underneath him dipped unexpectedly. He stumbled for a minute, listening to the screams of little kids and the consistent calling of his name. He tried to regain his balance, but his reflexes were off. The ground was hard, and he grunted from the force that he hit it with. He heard several gasps and suddenly the entire area fell quiet. Sasuke closed his eyes tighter at the pain inside of his swelling ankle, but he ignored it as he tried to get off his side. Something slithered against his shoulder blade, but he was in too much pain to register the scaly touches brushing his skin. And it wasn't until the feel of teeth sinking into his shoulder did it hit Sasuke that something was off. He felt himself get dizzy as something searing injected itself into his blood before the culprit slid away.

"Sasuke!" God that voice sounded nice. Maybe he should just open his eyes to see who was calling for him so kindly. But he couldn't answer. Between the pain in his ankle, and the sharpness in his shoulder, Sasuke's world went black with one though drifting through his mind.

_How did I get into this?_

_~*Six Weeks Earlier*~_

The day was hot. Much hotter than the black haired boy ever liked. But driving toward the two months of hell wasn't something he exactly wanted to do either. Almost at the great age of 17, Sasuke was driving to the 'Konoha camp', which was located in the middle of nowhere. Sure he wanted to spend his summer at home in his air-conditioned house, but he needed money. And since his family was not on the rich side, he needed to work to earn his share. He couldn't work during the school year because he was too involved with academics. After all, Uchiha Sasuke was no dummy. But in the summer when school had three months of break, he needed to make some money.

So when Hatake Kakashi, a family friend, offered him a job as a counselor, Sasuke begrudgingly took it. It was either that, or serving greasy fries while wearing a ridiculous uniform. And smiling. Sasuke didn't smile. So from the two evils, Sasuke decided that he could stand two months of working with children. He would have a cabin that he'd share with one person, and he only needed to stay there Monday through Friday. The weekends the kids were shipped back home, and the counselors could do as they pleased. And getting over twelve dollars an hour to work was worth it.

Sasuke had never been in the presence of a child for more than ten minutes. And even then, they were with their mother or father. But most of the time, they didn't make a lot of noise. They would stare at him for a long time, or play with toys that were placed in front of them. So being their counselor couldn't be too hard. He was an Uchiha, and Uchihas never failed.

He parked his car in the same parking lot he had been driving to for the past three days. Though the actual camp didn't start until today, he had to go through 'counsel training' in order to prepare them for the unexpected. They had been introduced to first aid, child psychology, schedule reading, and the rules of the camp itself. It had been boring and hot, but Sasuke didn't complain. Unlike other people in the training session.

"Don't hold them like that Naruto! You'll kill the damn kid before we even get him to the hospital!" Hearing laughter and several groans from the room of the counselors, Sasuke slowly opened the door to be greeted with two smiling blue eyes. He couldn't help but arch an eyebrow as the annoying blond haired boy moved around the room, swinging around the practice dummy used for lessons. When Sasuke shut the door loudly behind him, the boy stumbled before falling to the ground, the lifeless doll rolling a few feet before stopping. He glanced to the room briefly to note that Kakashi wasn't there, as usual.

"Sasuke-kun!" A pink-haired girl called out, waving. She sat with a long haired blonde, both girls glancing to each other and growling before looking back to Sasuke. The adoration that almost sparkled from them was freaky, but Sasuke didn't comment about it. The 'benefit' of having the camp so close to home was that he knew all the other counselors from school. Haruno Sakura had been his school guide when he had moved here three years back, and hadn't left him alone since. And for some reason, her best friend/rival Yamanaka Ino decided to tag along.

"Girls." A lazy boy in the corner lifted his head to glance to the glaring blond haired girl before rolling his eyes. Naru Shikamaru was also a student with Sasuke, and was considered a genius. Hanging out with a girl like Ino after school most of the time didn't prove it, but his test scores were amazing. Not that he ever tried. It was just pure luck that he had the brain of a mastermind. Most of the school day he wouldn't bother to listen, preferring to stare out at the clouds from the window. But no matter what random question the teacher asked, Shikamaru would somehow know it. It drove every teacher insane.

"Aw come on, girls are great when Uchiha isn't around! Otherwise it's like watching a lion stalking its prey." Despite the two murderous glares from the girls, the kid in front of the room stuck his tongue out and smirked. Sasuke only knew the name from all of the sports that Inuzuka Kiba played. Soccer, Basketball, Football, anything that he could play, he would. And he was an animal too. Nothing seemed to stopped the kid from participating, not even his school work. That was probably the only reason why he was trying in school. Kids weren't allowed to play unless that had higher than a 'C' average. Kiba barely jumped the bar.

Two other teenagers in the room were quiet. Both matching in eye color and hair, the two cousins were known as Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Neji. They came from a very powerful family, so why they were working here he wasn't sure. He could only guess that it was Hinata's idea in an attempt to get over her shyness, and that Neji was sent to watch over her. Out of all the people there, it was nice to see Neji, someone who he actually could hold an intelligent conversation with without them getting confused or bored. And Hinata was the only girl of the group who didn't gawk at him openly, but seem to be quite mannered and reserved.

"Hey teme!" Sasuke glanced over to the teen who had finally picked himself off of the ground. Out of all the counselors in the group, Sasuke knew this one was going to make the job much less…calm. Uzumaki Naruto was a blonde headed, blue eyed idiot. He was over animated, and never took a day of his life seriously. The two weren't really friends, more like acquaintances that met by chance and kept bumping into each other ever since freshman year. The two had almost identical schedules both sophomore and junior year. So no matter where he went, the blonde dobe was sure to follow.

Sasuke couldn't count how many times Naruto had been late for school, but most of his days he spent serving detention for his tardiness. It was a mystery why Naruto's parents didn't wake him up earlier, or why they didn't care about their son's constant punishments of missing school. In fact they never came to parent teacher conferences, or any of the sporting events that Naruto took part in. He remembered during gym a year back Kiba asked the boy about his parent's lack of attention. It was the only time Sasuke had ever seen Naruto quiet.

"Dobe," He replied, almost automatically. He watched the boy in front of him scowl before pointing a finger at him.

"You! Stop calling me that! One of these days I'm going to beat you to a—damnit!" Naruto quickly ran past Sasuke as Ino and Sakura chased after him, Kiba now rolling on the floor laughing at his friend's predicament.

"Get back here Naruto!" Ino shouted, her eyes blazing. Sakura was quick to follow.

"How dare you talk to Sasuke-kun like that!" Sasuke watched the teen quickly jumped over the desks to hide in the back corner. But before either girl could rip him apart, Kakashi walked into the room. A wave of relief went through the room as Sakura and Ino growled, both slowly moving back to their seats. Grumbling about 'crazy girls', Naruto slowly moved to sit with Kiba, who had finally been able to control his laughter.

"Welcome back. Sorry about being a little late, business and stuff. So, I will give you the packets and you can read them as you go to your cabins. You will share the cabin with your co-counselor; there will be two beds and a bathroom in there for your main needs, with the exception of the one co-ed pair. We've already set up your sleeping arrangements." He glanced to the two cousins, who nodded in confirmation. Sasuke glanced to the two, not surprised that they were working together. It seemed that whenever Hinata worked with somebody else, especially a boy, she would freeze up or possibly faint. It was probably healthier for her to work with Neji until she built up some confidence.

"So for the rest of you, you will be paired up with someone of the same sex. Ino and Sakura will work together as group two, Kiba and Naruto as group three, and Shikamaru and Sasuke will be group four." The girl's upset cries were drowned out quickly by the high-fives from Naruto and Kiba, making Sasuke roll his eyes. He'd be surprised if any of their kids survived three days with the two idiots. They couldn't save themselves, never mind kids.

"So when do we get to meet the kids?" Kiba asked, Kakashi looking up at the clock before sighing.

"At eight."

"What?! It's 8:15! Man Kakashi, you're making all of us late!" Naruto complained, racing out of the room. The others soon followed, Sasuke glancing to Shikamaru who hadn't gotten up from his seat. At the narrowing of his eyes, Shikamaru slowly lifted his head from the desk to look at the Uchiha before sighing and standing up.

"So troublesome," He mumbled under his breath. Sasuke followed behind the lazy guy, mentally smacking his head.

Suddenly the uniform didn't seem so bad.

~**~

Kids sucked. Sasuke's eye twitched as he stared at the mess that they had left in the cafeteria. For some reason, when given food, the camp kids decided it would be a good idea to throw it at each other instead of eating it. Some used it as finger-paint to color the walls. Others stuck it inside of Sakura's skirt to see what she would do. And the worst was when one of them dropped a full carton of milk onto Sasuke's lap.

Oh wait. _That _had been the dobe.

As if hearing him, Naruto rolled his eyes and glanced over at Sasuke. The two of them had been stuck on clean-up because they were considered the dirtiest. While Sasuke and the others had been trying to talk to the kids into stopping the food fight, Naruto had decided the best thing to do was to grab as much of the food away from the kids and put it one big pile that was bound to fall. And as luck would have it, it fell right onto Sasuke and Naruto. So while the others brought their kids to the children's cabins to monitor showers and bedtime, he was stuck here. With the idiot.

"Are you going to ignore me the whole time?" Glancing around at the walls that dripped with spaghetti sauce, Sasuke knew how to answer.

"Hn."

"Oh come on teme, it's not like I'm the one who told them to fight! And I didn't see any of you guys making any progress with them," Naruto said, as if his defense would magically clean the room for them.

"You are an idiot."

"Yea, well you've got a stick up your ass." Sasuke narrowed his eyes on the boy, who simply grinned back. The two stared at each other for a moment before Sasuke slowly relaxed and shook his head.

"You don't even know who you're talking about." As if aggravated with the situation, Naruto dropped the mop on the ground. Walking over to Sasuke, he stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

"Your name is Uchiha Sasuke. You live with your mother, father, and older brother Itachi. You're somewhere in the top five of the class. Your birthday is in the summer, sometime in July. The later part of July. Which means that you're a Cancer, a total crab. Seems to fit you perfectly." Naruto said. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit. He quickly recovered, pushing the blonde away from him. In order to stop the discussion, he walked over to the other side of the room, though Naruto didn't stay idle. He heard the annoying voice get louder as it spoke. "You're really into dark colors, and you never smile. Which is weird, since all of the girls just gravitate toward you even when you're an asshole."

"So what, you stalking me now?" Sasuke asked, glaring back at the satisfied teen. When he shook his head, Sasuke slowly turned back to face him. "How do you know all of that?"

"Do you think they let me sleep in detention? I do all those stupid 'happy birthday from student council' things while I'm after school. And since the girls all _adore _you at the school, yours was pretty hard to miss," Naruto said, shrugging while leaning on the only clean wall in the place. He looked around the entire cafeteria, his stupid grin never leaving his lips. Sasuke stared at the boy for a few seconds, opening his mouth to speak. The blonde beat him to it. "I saw your family at parent teacher conferences. They were telling me about your brother and stuff, so that's how I figured your family out. And I don't think I've ever seen you wear a brighter color than dark blue in the entire three years we've known each other. So I know you don't fancy things like happiness and laughter. Or even smiling."

"Shut up."

"Someone's sensitive."

"Only to dobes." That got him a glare. Satisfied in winning the verbal match, he picked up the mop that Naruto had left and started to clean again. He heard movement behind him, but didn't turn to look. The two worked in silence for the rest of the time, occasionally glaring at the other for reasons only they could back up. But Sasuke couldn't stop the strong urge to smirk at what the boy had said earlier. _Such an idiot. He goes to the parent teacher conferences and talks to other kids parents. Why doesn't he just bring his own? Probably because of his grades. _

Once the two had finished their cleaning, they walked back the counselor's cabins. Blue eyes were facing the sky, watching the stars and paying no attention to the path they walked. The complete ignorance was amazingly stupid in Sasuke's opinion, but he wasn't the teen's mother. If the teen got hurt, it wasn't his issue.

"Hey Sasuke?" Speaking of the devil.

"Hn."

"You ever wonder if we're not the only ones out there? Like if we're really just one out of a hundred planets like us?" At the random ramble, Sasuke scoffed.

"Why does it matter? We're here and they're not. It doesn't matter what's out there, because they don't seem to care about our species. Don't bother with the 'what if', deal with the 'what is'." He watched the younger male blink and glance back to him. By now they were through the main part of their walk, though neither seemed to notice.

"You're a friggen jerk." There was a pause before he spoke again. "You wanna take cafeteria duties at night with me?"

"What?" They both stopped in front of the cabins, standing in front of each other. Naruto seemed as shocked about his question as Sasuke, but quickly recovered with a grin.

"I just don't want to get stuck doing it with Neji or something. One wrong move and I'm history with that guy! At least with a teme like you I know you can't beat me up. Ya know?" The blonde laughed for a few seconds before he noticed Sasuke walking away from him and back toward his cabin. "Hey wait! Get back here you jerk! You can't just walk away from a conversation."

"Every time I hear your voice, I lose brain cells." Sasuke felt the smirk against his lips grow when he heard the growl from Naruto. Finally stopping at the door, he glanced back to the seething boy, amused. "But I guess anything is better than these brats."

"Good! And next time, you're mopping!" The energetic fuzz ball ran into his cabin and shut the door, leaving Sasuke to himself in the night. Sighing at the random energetic teenager, Sasuke pushed into his to clean off and sleep, not knowing he had started the most important two months of his life.

_~**~_

"Prepare to eat asphalt dog breath!" How had he been roped into this? Watching Naruto cockily dribble the ball between his legs, Sasuke had just wanted to know where the bathroom was. That was all. So how did he end up being dragged into an all out basketball war with a practically foaming-at-the-mouth teammate growling back at the smirking teenage? Not to mention they had a full house watching them from the stands.

"In your dreams kitsune! Me and emo boy are going to wipe the court with your ugly face." What were these, pet names? In all honestly, 'emo boy' didn't really set well with him. He sent a glare at his 'teammate' who was too busy sticking his tongue out at Naruto to notice. He glanced to Shikamaru, who stood next to Naruto with the most bored look on his face. But if he was so _against _the idea of exercise, what had he agreed?

All Sasuke had wanted to know was where the men's bathroom was. His and Naruto's group of kids were assigned to play basketball for their day activity while Sakura and Neji's groups went out to the lake for swimming. But halfway through teaching the kids (who weren't acting _quite _as demonic today) how to dribble a ball, Sasuke got a call from nature. He tried to ignore it, since he wasn't sure leaving the kids with Shikamaru was the best idea, but after 20 minutes his body couldn't be ignored. Seeing no bathroom, he knew he needed to find someone who did know. Since Shikamaru was too busy trying to avoid physical exercise and Kiba was getting some more basketballs, he was left with one option.

"Dobe." Naruto's kids watched in awe as their counselor shot a point easily from the foul line. He had to admit that even though the dobe had been a pain for the past week, he was really good with his kids. Not to say that Sasuke was bad, because he was an Uchiha after all, but Naruto seemed to enjoy the positive attention from the children.

"Hey teme! You struggling to teach your kids how to play?" The offhanded comment made Sasuke frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto shrugged while he grabbed the ball that had rolled back to his feet. Spinning it on one finger was just to piss Sasuke off he was sure.

"Well I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you play a sport before. And you're not exactly structured to play anything physical." After his comment, Naruto did an once-over Sasuke's body as if to prove his point. Sasuke didn't bother to deny the boy's accusations. He knew he wasn't bulky like some of the kids at their school, but that did not make him weak. What he lacked in body he made up for in strength and agility. So yes, he stayed away from football and hockey. He left those sports to the boneheads.

"I'm better than you think. And you're not exactly a heavy weight either. You're smaller than I am."

"Hey! You take that back jerk!" Naruto jerked his attention to his right when he heard laughing. When Sasuke noticed the dangerous gleam in Kiba's eyes, he knew he wasn't going to like where this was going.

"Hey, look idiot, I just want to kno—"

"So you think a hot shot when it comes to basketball, eh fox boy?" Kiba's interruption into Sasuke's question almost made the Uchiha groan. He knew where this was going, especially with that insult. Naruto was born with three scars on each of his cheeks. It wasn't a big deal to most until sophomore year when Naruto had fallen asleep in English. Kiba had drawn over them with permanent marker, making the lines pop out. And though Sasuke didn't stare, he had to admit that it did make look Naruto look fox-like. The entire day, Naruto had to walk around with the marks on his face. Ever since then, Kiba had officially given him the name 'fox boy'. In return, Naruto had super glued a collar around Kiba's neck with the dog tags reading 'Uzumaki's bitch'. And people wondered why Sasuke considered them idiots.

"Why, you think your better kibbles?" The two conceited boys stared at each other with an intensity that could have heated a room had they been indoors. But the sun glaring down on them was hot enough to compensate. Taking a challenging step toward the blonde, Kiba snatched the ball off of his finger and rolled it down his arm and across his shoulders to catch it in his other hand. The blond shrugged, casually starting to pull his shirt off as he spoke. "Well why don't you stop with the fancy tricks and get to playing."

"Is that a challenge Uzumaki?" The teen in question tossed his shirt over to Sasuke, who glared at him in annoyance. He was not a coat rack, especially for the smelly idiots in front of him. So when Kiba's shirt hit him in the fact, it took all his pride to keep him from lashing out at the two. Instead, he dropped the shirts on the ground and stepped on them.

"Before you two imbeciles go at each other, I have a question to ask." This was really getting annoying. All he wanted to do was go to the bathroom and get back to the kids. He had left them with Shikamaru for over five minutes, and that could be deadly. To the kids or Naru he wasn't quite sure.

Naruto's head snapped over to Sasuke, and an evil grin curled the blonde's lips so fast, Sasuke didn't stand a chance.

"Alright, I'll play a game with you. But not one on one, that'd be too easy to beat you with. Let's see how much of a hot shot you are when you've got Sasuke on your team. Me and Shikamaru against you and Sasuke. The first team to five points wins." Sasuke was in shock. He wasn't sure if it showed on his face or not, but for the moment he didn't care. That stupid idiot had just thrown him into something he never asked to be a part of. He quickly tried to put an end to this scheme.

"I'm not playing, dobe. I just want to know where the bathroom is." Both boys broke eye contact to stare at the glaring boy, who didn't let up on his gaze.

"What the hell's wrong with you teme? You just said you were good at this game. Why wouldn't you want to play? Besides the fact you're on a loser team." If Naruto was trying to get him angry, it wasn't working.

"Either way I would have been on a loser's team, despite the score. Now where is the bathroom so you and Kiba can continue with your game?"

"Well if you're going to be that way…then I'm not telling you where they are." If looks could kill, Sasuke would have been charged with the murder of Uzumaki Naruto. But the blonde was still breathing, and looking very arrogant now. "If you'll play one game with us, I'll tell you where they are. If not, be prepared to wet yourself in front of everyone."

"You can't be serious." But the look that Naruto gave him made it clear that for once, he wasn't joking. Trying to find a way out of the situation, and the idea of doing something as disgusting as public urination, Sasuke looked over to where he had left Shikamaru. Luckily, everyone seemed to be in one piece. "You'd never get Shikamaru to agree to it."

"Watch me, I'm very persuasive!" Naruto practically skipped over to the other boy, where the two engaged in the longest conversation Sasuke had ever watched. And why was it so long? Because now he could feel the cramps in his stomach from the severe need to pee. And the two were acting like they were discussing the meaning of life.

But finally, a miracle occurred. Shikamaru not only stood up from the bench he was laying on, but walked over to the court and mumbled, "I'm in."

And that had been the end of Sasuke's escape. Not that he didn't try other reasons why they couldn't play. He tried to use the kids, but they were all so taken by Naruto's charm that they rushed to the stands to watch them. Then he tried to reason it was too hot. That had ended up in Naruto ripping his shirt off of him in the roughest possible way. He would have tried more reasons if not for the fact that his stomach was really starting to hurt, and he could almost feel the water swishing inside whenever he moved. So as calmly and quietly as he could, Sasuke relented.

"Fine. One game." The smile on Naruto's face looked like it was about to fall off from lack of room.

"Great! The bathrooms are right behind the basketball shed, you can't miss em if you look from over here." Sasuke would have strangled someone, but he had more urgent needs to take care of. Without another word, he walked briskly to the bathrooms. Because there was no way he was going to run. By the time he had gotten back, the crowd had grown to include the other two set of kids along with their counselors. They were coming back from the pool when Naruto had so _generously _invited them to watch. And as soon as Sasuke's name had been dropped, the two girls had raced to the stands. The only reason Neji agreed to watch was his curiosity in how well his intelligent friend faired in sports.

And that was how Sasuke found himself staring into the clear blue eyes of determination. He should have just let them have the win. But the pride inside of him wouldn't let that happen. After all, he had unwillingly agreed to this. There was no backing out now. So slowly he moved into a defensive position that had the blonde smirking. With Hinata's help and some searching in the sport shed, a little girl blew the whistle that started the fierce game.

And surprisingly, the two teams were dead even in skill. When Shikamaru and Sasuke finally decided to take the game as seriously as one could against their will, their bodies were helpful instead of deadweight. Even though Sasuke didn't want to admit it, when the score had been tied at 4-4, he had forgotten that he didn't want to play. He ignored the screams of his name as he dribbled the ball in front of him, feeling the sweat drip off the side of his face. He didn't care as much as he should have. His body and mind were focused on one thing. The wipe the taunting grin that had been plastered in place the entire game.

Neither of the boys moved at first. Sasuke stood behind the half court line, and glanced briefly at Kiba to see Shikamaru had not let up on his defense. Looking back at the idle opponent in front of him, he knew he had no other choice but to bring the ball to the hoop himself. So he continued to dribble the ball for a few more seconds, hoping to psych the blonde out before he moved forward. In almost a predatory way, he watched Naruto lick his lower lip in anticipation, his whiskered scars only adding to the image of a fox staring at dinner. But Sasuke didn't stop as he ran straight toward the dangerous opponent.

But the clash of the titans happened a little different than he expected. Out of all the moments in the game for Sasuke to trip, it had to be then. We he was only inches from Naruto and the winning shot. But fate didn't seem to like Sasuke, because instantly his shoulder crashed into a hard body that had not been expecting the extra weight. The two hit off of each other and went down hard. The way that Sasuke's shoulder was tilted toward the ground, he knew he was in for a world of pain. So closing his eyes seemed like thing to do in preparation.

But a yank to his right changed the course of his body. Instead of landing on tar with the snapping of his collarbone, he fell straight against Naruto's body. He felt Naruto's back hit the ground with a thud and then a few inches of a sickening grinding of skin against the court followed. It took Sasuke's mind a few moments to catch up with his body, hearing the painful groan underneath him. Pushing his eyes open to look down at his human pillow, he almost winced as the excruciating look that he knew the boy wasn't faking. Moving as quickly as he could, Sasuke rolled Naruto to his side, ignoring the hiss that followed the movement.

"Naruto! Dude, can you hear me?" Both Kiba and Shikamaru had run over, the competition easily forgotten. Sasuke stared down at the vicious tears of skin. Parts of the peeled skin hung lifelessly off of his back. The blood was staring to become a problem, and smart parts of the tar were probably causing immense pain inside of the open wounds. Not wanting to have him roll back onto the open sores, Sasuke leaned him to lie on his stomach.

"Kiba, go grab the water bottles so we can wash out the wounds. Shikamaru, grab me the first aid kit. It's somewhere near our stuff." His tone was sharp and clear, leaving no room for arguing. Not that either boy cared to stay with Naruto with the gruesome marks on his back. Once the boys left to do their tasks, Sasuke calmly lifted his head to the stands, where several of the kids were crying. Trying to ignore them, Sasuke looked up to Neji, who currently was keeping the girls from running over to them. "Neji, take everyone and get them away from here. Bring the kids to lunch or something; get their minds off of it. Kiba and Shikamaru will catch up in a minute."

Neji nodded before corralling the small group of distressed children out of the area, Hinata's soft promises of ice cream relaxing most of the children. Still, it was obvious that the kids from group three were still extremely upset even when forced away from their counselor. Sasuke let out a weak sigh and looked back at the injured boy. He was not expecting to see two open blue eyes staring up at him.

"You teme…I'm fine. You worry like a girl." Naruto laughed but shut his eyes and hissed when he tried to move his body.

"When you act like a child, I have to treat you like one. Now don't be an idiot and stay still. Even you can see that you're in no position to move." Sasuke knew that he sounded harsh, but he didn't care. Naruto had done something stupid and deserved it. Why would he pull the extra weight into his body, knowing it would make a harder impact on the ground? It wasn't like Sasuke had asked him to.

"You know, for being so scrawny, you sure hit hard." The pain wrapped around his voice like a glove despite the smile. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the comment, looking up to the two counselors when they came back with the supplies. Sasuke started to unscrew the cap of the water as he spoke.

"Neji's in the cafeteria, and both of our teams need to be calmed down. I'll fix the idiot up and get him to the nurse. You two go help the others."

"Right-o boss man." Kiba saluted Sasuke before he glanced back down to Naruto, awkwardly shifting on his feet. "Get better Naruto."

"Don't worry. I've still got to kick your ass."

"In your dreams." Kiba laughed, seeming to feel better from his friend's ability to brag. Once the other two left, Sasuke placed his hand onto Naruto's uninjured shoulder in the case that Naruto flinched. Sasuke heard Naruto grunt a bit in discomfort from the coldness of the liquid washing his wounds. Looking up to the teen, he narrowed his eyes to see he had opened the first aid kit, flipping through the pages.

"Put that down." Naruto didn't seem to pay attention as he stopped on one page.

"Says here that you should put the gloves on to keep bacteria away from the wound," Naruto read. He glanced back at Sasuke and pushed the box toward him. Narrowing his gaze on his 'patient', Sasuke was tempted to leave him as he was. But when he saw Naruto wince despite his continuation to talk, Sasuke knew he was trying to get his mind off the pain in his back. "Come on, you aren't very good at this first aid thing."

"Do not speak unless you're reading the instructions," Sasuke ordered. Naruto moved to complain, stopping when Sasuke reached into the first aid kit for the gloves. He grinned before relaxing again on the pavement, starting to read to Sasuke. Sasuke followed the instructions quietly; relieved by the fact there was noise. Silence would leave room to think about what the dobe's reasoning was behind the moronic stunt.

It took a while to get Naruto's back fully cleaned out (luckily there were tweezers to take the pieces of tar out). But the worst part came at the covering of the wounds.

"They're too small." Was the sentence that started the ball rolling. Naruto glanced over his back in annoyance, which Sasuke was sure his eyes mirrored.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're too small. How else can I simplify that?" The adhesive bandages, though they came in several sizes, were too small to cover any of the real wounds. And Sasuke was not going to waste time playing Tetris with bandages to make them fit.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Naruto's sudden shout made Sasuke jump. He quickly recovered with an eye roll while the blonde struggled to sit up.

"Well there's a first."

"Shut up, I don't see you using your _amazing_ brain." Before Sasuke could speak, Naruto held up a rolled cloth bandage. "Just use the gauze pads to cover the wounds, and wrap this around my body to keep them in place. I've seen them do it on Baywatch like 100 times."

"You watch Baywatch?"

"Duh! Have you seen their bathing suits?" Sasuke scoffed and grabbed the gauze from the kit, starting to press it against Naruto's back. He kept the gauze in place with the medical tape while Naruto unraveled the bandage. He took the bandage from the teen while he spoke.

"No wonder you're so dumb. That show is garbage."

"And I'm sure you watch the discovery channel while sipping tea and debating about Darwinism. Real mat—OW! Damnit get off of me!" Sasuke pulled back quickly from wrapping the wound, realizing one problem with Naruto's plan.

"I can't get to the front of your body without leaning on your back." Naruto didn't seem to listen, still complaining from the pain shooting through his back. Sasuke easily found a solution to the problem. But the willingness was not there. "Hn."

"Hn? What does 'hn' mean this time? I don't speak Uchiha." He sighed at the grumble from the other male, slowly moving to sit in front of him. The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence while Sasuke debating leaving the wounds as they were and having the nurse deal with it. But if somebody bumped into Naruto, the gauze would easily fall off. The bandages were needed to keep them in place.

"I'm going to have to wrap you from the front." There was no room for discussion in Sasuke's voice. Blinking, it took Naruto a few seconds to realize what that meant in position change. Sasuke arched an eyebrow when he saw a slight change in color in Naruto's cheeks. Did the dobe actually have an embarrassment level?

"N-no way! I'm not having a guy straddling me and pressing into my body! You're gonna have to get all close and shit."

"It's not like I want to do this either, idiot" The awkward silence that fell between them only made the situation worse. Neither one wanted to start what they both knew had to be done. There were a few moments of squirming, scowling, and avoidance of eye contact. A warm breeze passed by them, seeming to knock them out of their silence.

"Fine, just do it quick. I'll just think of a girl doing it or something," Naruto mumbled weakly. He stretched his legs out in front of him, as almost an invitation to start. Sasuke saw how Naruto's cheeks were still pink, and he mildly wondered if his cheeks had changed color. He really hoped not, because he didn't have whiskers or tanned skin to hide it.

Shifting to straddle Naruto's thighs, neither boy made eye contact as the bandage was being wrapped. Occasionally their chests would touch, which stopped bothering Sasuke after the third brush. The teen under him was another story. Whenever the need to wrap his back came, Naruto would tense up and stay tense until Sasuke slid his fingers away from the wounded area and pulled back.

Sasuke couldn't exactly say he was relaxed either. The weak breathing brushing against his bare shoulder wasn't something he was used to. He had near girls plenty of times, but never this close. Most of them just latched onto his arms when he walked. It was easy to ignore the extra appendage. But feeling hot breath against the skin was different. The feeling sent a shiver down his spine, which he ignored. Even though his mind had assessed the situation as a needed but not wanted contact between him and the blonde, his body didn't care. The nerves were sensitive no matter who touched them.

"Hey, n-not so tight." Sasuke blinked out of his thoughts when he realized he had pulled the bandage roughly against Naruto's back. He felt a second shiver at the grip on his arm that had brought him back, and still hadn't moved from his bicep. But he didn't focus on it.

"This is your fault," Sasuke mumbled, finally moving one last time against the dobe's body to finish the wrapping. He felt the hand tighten on his arm in protest.

"How is this my fault? You're the one who tripped! Stupid teme, I should have known you couldn't play sports." Sasuke narrowed his eyes when the tilt of Naruto's head directed the breath to glide along his ear. He wasn't sure if he was angry at the words or action, but he knew that he didn't like his non-filtering body. Didn't it know that Naruto was a guy? And more importantly, an idiot?

"You're the one who caught me." Just for spite, though Naruto wouldn't be able to tell, he let his breath move against Naruto's skin. The teen dropped his hand from Sasuke's arm, but not before he shivered. It was relieving to know that every teenager's body reacted to sensitive touches, no matter the sex. After all, the blonde's body had.

"That's because you're my friend." That caught Sasuke off guard. Moving away from the chest he still had been pressed again, he couldn't see any fakeness in Naruto's smile. He must have seen the confusion in the obsidian gaze, because he shrugged and took the bandage from Sasuke's hands, tying it into a knot in the front. "I mean yea, we fight a lot and sometimes I really want to dunk your head in the lake. I get tired of watching you brood in the corner over pointless stuff. I hate how you get stuff handed to you like girls and good looks. Eh, I guess there isn't a lot that I like about you actually.

"Well no. I like talking to you, even if you are a prick. I guess there's just a lot of things I like and a lot of things I don't like about you. So it balances out and leaves me with the conclusion that you're my friend, in some weird twisted way. I'm not sure how my mind works, it just tells me what to think and I think it. Damn I sound dumb." As if he could ever get self-conscious, the rambling teenager ran his fingers through bright locks of hair before looking up at Sasuke and grinning. "But you're still a teme who needs to loosen up a bit."

"Hn."

"Like now! I just gave the best confession of friendship you'll ever get and all you say is 'hn'? That's not even a word you jerk! Gah I knew I should have saved that for someone special." Despite his loudness, Sasuke could tell that Naruto meant what he said. By the avoiding of eye contact and sudden burst of loudness, he was trying to hide it. And for some reason, that made Sasuke feel like maybe, just maybe, having the idiot hang around him wasn't as bad as he thought.

"Let's get you to the nurse; I'm sure this won't be the last time you're there." Sasuke moved off of the complaining teen. Wanting to shut him up, he held his hand out in front of Naruto, who slowly grinned before using it to pull himself up. Sasuke moved out of the court with a babbling idiot behind him.

"I knew it! I knew you liked me! Come on teme; say I'm your friend!"

"Sure dobe, something like that."

"Cop out!"

"Hn." And they continued to argue all the way to the nurse's office, their relationship growing with each insult.

~**~

_It was hot. So hot, that Sasuke could feel his fingers trembling when they slid into spiky blond hair, tugging in need while the idiot continued to lick at his navel. That wasn't where he wanted him. And if he was going to let him take control for a bit, he was going to do it right. He could already feel his hips working against sinful fingers that touched him in a way that was unique to their owner. A thumb brushed the slit of his tip, which dripped with hot pre-cum. If not for the gentle bite against his happy trail, Sasuke wouldn't have made a noise. As it was, it was only a soft grunt, but he could feel the grin against his skin. Damn idiot. _

_One quick lick to his tip got his back to arch. It was uncontrollable, and Sasuke was too busy keeping his moans to himself to even care about his body. His hips had betrayed him as soon as tanned fingers wrapped around his central need. His skin had flushed under every suck from that sinful mouth that was now wrapping tightly against his shaft. Sweat pooled between them, and the darkness of the room was causing ever touch to feel more heightened. He felt blunt nails lazily trail themselves against the inside of his thighs while that mouth brought pleasure Sasuke wasn't even sure existed. It was too much and not enough. He felt his hips push up in bliss, racing toward the need to finish. The tongue was rubbing the slit, the hot cavern it laid in sucking the rest of his throbbing member. He felt his hands grab whatever was under them for grounding as his head started to fill with white. It was hot. It was perfect. _

It was a dream. A dream that been bugging Sasuke for two weeks. He sighed and stared at his desk, which was covered with information about recurring dreams. One scientist said that no two dreams were exactly alike, but they invoke the same feelings and emotions, which causes the dreamer to think it's a recurring dream. Well yea, he knew that. Sometimes they were inside, sometimes outside. There were cases where they were dressed and others where nothing but a sheet separated them. And some of them Sasuke couldn't even think back to without smacking himself. But the main focus was always the same.

He had read that a dream like this could be caused by a problem or stress in a person's life. Well, the kids gave him tons of that. They had done nothing besides destroy every possible toy or game that they had. It was enough to make Sasuke want to scream. But he wouldn't, because he was Sasuke. So saying he was under more stress than usual was true. And since he normally ended the night cleaning the cafeteria, it could explain why the dobe was in his 'nightmares'. Nightmares were things that scared you. They made you sweat and squirm, and have trouble sleeping for hours. They make you scared to sleep because of having them. They can even make you scream in your sleep.

Yup, it was a nightmare alright. Just a horribly twisted one that somehow invoked his body to harden to the point of pain. It was actually why he woke up most of the time, disgusted and aroused. It was a dream that Sasuke didn't want to have again. Sigmund Freud said that everyone was a sexual being, and that dreams helped people play out their fantasies. That their unconscious mind was trying to force them to see something they didn't know or want to know about. And since the day at the basketball courts, where Naruto had made Sasuke realize just how responsive the skin on his ear was to his touch, the dreams wouldn't stop.

"I'm going to kill him." Sasuke muttered, grabbing the papers and tossing them into the trashcan near the desk. He sighed and looked out the window at the kids who were waving goodbye to the staff at the camp before running to where their parents were waiting. It was Friday, which meant Sasuke was able to go home if he wanted. Normally there wouldn't be a doubt in his mind to get away from this place. But the thought of being alone for a few days seemed a lot more relaxing than getting bombarded by fangirls as soon as he stepped out of his house.

It would be even worse than normal this weekend since it was his birthday. His parents had already given him his present by paying off the rest of the money for his car. Itachi had gotten him tickets for a concert for a band he didn't really like, but the brother's had never really been too close. Plus, he was sure he could find someone to buy them off of him. In a way, he would be making money off of the present, so he wasn't really bothered. There was nothing really to go home to, other than a headache.

"You haven't left yet?" Sasuke blinked before he turned to face Shikamaru, who sighed and moved over to lie in his bed. He didn't understand why the lazy kid was so tired. He convinced the kids to make shapes out of clouds for two hours instead of archery. Sasuke didn't argue since it gave him time to look up the research on his 'problem'.

"I'm not sure I'm going home yet. I might stay here for the weekend," Sasuke replied, making sure the papers in the trash were facing downward. Shikamaru sighed and rolled onto his back.

"Figured." There were a few moments of silence between them, though nothing awkward filled the space. Once they started to talk, Sasuke realized how easy it was to get along with his co-counselor. So long as he didn't have to work, Shikamaru was a generally good guy. They didn't talk too much, but their conversations were never boring or meaningless like a certain blond haired boy he knew. "I wouldn't want to go back to the town if I was you. I'm sure the fangirls have planned a big attack for tomorrow."

"Talking to Sakura and Ino again?"

"Those two know more gossip than anyone else in our school. So I figured I'd warn you before you walked into your own death." Sasuke nodded before he stood up, moving toward the door for some fresh air.

"I'm guessing your heading home, so I'll see you Monday." Was Sasuke's response before leaving Shikamaru alone in the cabin. He stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes before sighing and closing his eyes.

"Being friends with Naruto is way too troublesome," He mumbled, before pushing out of his bed to go tell him friend the news.

~**~

Friday night came and left without much of a fuss. Sasuke was basically alone except for Kakashi, who had offered to stay in case of an emergency. He didn't see much of the older man, since Kakashi preferred to be alone in his cabin. That was fine with Sasuke; he enjoyed the solitude of the camp. When there were no kids running around the noise left with them. The site was actually very quiet. Saturday he had spent walking around the camp area and mountain trails that the kids were going to be headed on in a few weeks. Even though they were going to have maps to guide them, Sasuke still wanted to know what he was getting himself into. So for his seventeenth birthday, Sasuke was alone.

Until night time. The rain wasn't bad at first, when Sasuke had moved back into the camp. But by the time Sasuke had showered and changed into his sleep wear, the rain was coming down in buckets. He stared at it for a while, the temperature dropping a bit from the amount of cool water that contrasted sharply with the hotness of the summer sun. So Sasuke shut his window and prepared to go to sleep.

A knock at the door caught him off guard. Slowly Sasuke moved off of his bed and to the door, his eyes staring down in confusion when a soaked Naruto with a just as soaked backpack grinned up at him.

"Hey teme, happy birthday!" Without asking he entered, kicking his ruined shoes to the side next to Sasuke's. Sasuke shut the door to keep the rain out, glancing back now at the puddle that surrounded Naruto's feet while he stripped his socks off.

"What are you doing here?" He only got an eye roll from his guest before he headed into the bathroom, leaving footprints on the floor behind him. Sasuke wasn't sure what Naruto was trying to pull, but the idea of being alone with him was unsettling. They were alone in the cafeteria. But it was because of their job. They had to be in there, alone if nobody else wanted to stay and help. That was just a part of them being counselors.

But this was something different for Sasuke. He had school friends, and he did some after school activities with people to make his college resume look good. He was invited to more parties than he could think of. But never once had a friend of his come over to his house. Most of his popularity was with girls, and he certainly did not want them to come over. The others were only friends when school was in session. The closest thing to a friend for Sasuke was Neji, and even they had never been to each other's houses. He just talked to Neji more than anyone else.

So when Naruto came out of the bathroom in sleepwear, a towel around his neck, and a present in hand, Sasuke wasn't sure what to do.

"What? I know you've seen a present before!" Naruto laughed and tossed the wrapped up box to Sasuke before jumping onto Shikamaru's bed. He finished scrubbing the mess of hair that now flopped in his eyes from the weight of the water and threw the towel over the puddle he had made earlier. Looking up to Sasuke, he grinned. "I left my clothes in the shower to dry, since I figured you had already taken yours. You're lucky that my bag was waterproof, or else that thing would have been ruined! And don't worry about clothes for me, I left my stuff back at my cabin for the weekend!"

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked again, staring at the teenager who was cleaning his ear out with his pinky. Tossing the present onto the bed, Sasuke moved into the bathroom and grabbed a q-tip, throwing it at Naruto. "That's disgusting. Use this."

"Shut up, I couldn't find them when I was in there," Naruto replied, grabbing the smaller instrument and starting his work again.

"You are an idiot." He only got a growl in return. Sighing, Sasuke slowly walked over to his bed, sitting next to the present. He knew the look he was giving the bright orange wrapping paper was cautious because he heard the teen snort.

"It's not a bomb; I'm waiting for Christmas to put that one together."

"As if you could."

"Hey! Take that back!"

"No."

"Teme."

"Dobe." He looked up to see Naruto cross his arms and pout like the kids in his group. Shaking his head at the childish antics, Sasuke slowly put the present into his lap before he started to open it. From the corner of his eye he could see Naruto squirming, a clear sign of nerves. The thought that Naruto cared enough to be worried about Sasuke's reaction made his stomach knot. He drew his attention back to the present, pulling off the cover of the white box. He blinked as he stared down at the hoodie, which looked surprisingly comfortable. He picked it out of the box, the hoodie white with black flames coming from the edges. It didn't look cheap or easy to get, which led Sasuke to the assumption that Naruto had actually thought about it. Slowly, he let the hoodie rest in his lap, looking over to the now panicking boy.

"I-It was just in a display I saw. I just…well you're so damn emo all the time, you never wear color. But I wasn't going to go buy you a princess pony shirt or some stupid shit like that. So I saw it, and it's not completely black or anything so you won't be quite as bad. I don't know if it's your size, and I don't really care! It fit me so I'm assuming it'd fit your scrawny body. And…ya know…it's your birthday and stuff."

"Why?" Naruto blinked at the question before narrowing his eyes on Sasuke, moving over to hit him. Sasuke was quicker, pushing Naruto back onto the bed before the blonde could get in a punch. A match of wrestling ensued, the two reversing roles between the victor and the defeated. Finally a cry of joy was heard as Sasuke glared up at Naruto, who had successfully pinned his body to the bed. Both set of legs were tangled between the other's, their breathing choppy and one face flushed beneath whiskered cheeks from the struggle. The other boy continued to scowl, trying to ignore how close their bodies were. Unwillingly his mind flashed back to his dream for so many nights, Sasuke shaking his head to destroy it.

"Get off of me." He snapped out, which only caused the goofy smile to grow. He tried to push farther back into the bed when Naruto leaned closer, unaware of the meaning 'personal space'.

"Come on, say I'm stronger," Naruto taunted, sticking his tongue out like a child. But his body was not young; there was no baby fat to be seen. His stomach, as far as Sasuke could remember, may have been even toner than his. Not that he would ever admit it to the blonde.

"You're such a pain."

"Yea, but you like it."

"Like a child likes a cavity." At the boyish pout that Naruto gave, Sasuke switched the subject. "You never answered my question."

"What question?"

"The one you came over here to hit me for?" Naruto paused as if thinking before shaking his head.

"Nope, doesn't ring a bell." If Sasuke had control of his hands, he would have punched the idiot.

"The why are you on me?" Sasuke arched a brow at the sudden flushing that filled the younger teen's cheeks before he pulled away, quickly scrambling to the other side of the bed. Confused, Sasuke sat up and watched the almost nervous glancing that kept Naruto's eyes away from him. Getting sick of the mood swings, Sasuke decided to drop the subject. There was no point in getting the teen all riled up, especially before they went to bed. So instead, he looked down at the present and frowned. "The white is going to make me look pale."

"You already are pale," Naruto grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Besides, it's not like that will stop the girls from liking you. In fact, I bet they're gonna want you even more since I have such good style."

"If your head got any bigger, it would pop from the pressure." Before the idiot started another fight, Sasuke continued. "And the thought of more girls chasing me makes me want to burn it."

"You better not!"

"I said want, not will. Although to see your face, it may be worth it." Sasuke said, smirking over to the boy. Naruto just glared before looking away and crossing his arms. The similarities between him and the campers were astounding. It was no surprised that they favored him over everyone.

"I don't see why you complain. Any guy would want to be in your shoes."

"Because I can't even walk out the front door without one of them stalking me. You try taking a shower when there are girls outside of your window." A devious curl of Naruto's lips made Sasuke shudder. And it wasn't from fear.

"I'd let them in."

"Why? So they'd run?"

"Teme! I'll let you know that there are a lot of girls who find me attractive." As if to prove his point, he flexed his bicep to show that muscle that strained against the pressure. Sasuke stared at it for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"And how many of them have kissed you?" He could tell his answer by the flush in Naruto's cheeks and the growl he received.

"How many girls have you kissed?!"

"None."

"Yea well the probably didn't like it—what?" Sasuke shrugged at the shocked look on Naruto's face.

"I've never kissed anyone."

"No fucking way." The profanity that left Naruto's mouth made an eyebrow go up. "You, the Uchiha Sasuke, have never kissed a girl before?"

"What's the point in kissing someone if you don't like them? I'm not wasting my time with women who I could care less about." He knew the haughty way he said it would drive Naruto up a wall. His guess was confirmed by the way that Naruto glared at him and fisted his hands in the sheets. Feeling a bit prouder than he should have, Sasuke smirked and leaned closer to Naruto, seeing the blue tinted reflection of his own eyes. "And how many girls have wanted to kiss you, _the _Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Asshole." The two stared at each other, letting the word hang in the air. After a few seconds Naruto glanced away, an unreadable look in his eyes. Suddenly, Sasuke felt like the playful banter had taken a vicious turn. Naruto seemed pulled back, though he hadn't moved away physically. A sudden chill filled the air around them. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but found no words come to him. No insult or comeback. It was like this new Naruto had sucked him dry. Even Naruto's voice changed to a soft mumble. "Nobody's ever wanted to touch me. Why would they want to kiss me?"

"What about your parents? They've touched you," Sasuke said, watching in shock as Naruto's entire body flinched. The pain inside of Naruto's eyes was something Sasuke had never seen before.

"No, they haven't. Not for a long time." Naruto's voice was so dull; Sasuke was almost worried about speaking again. So Naruto did it for him. "My parents passed on 12 years ago. A fire in the house, while I was over my friend's house. The police said it was some arsonist who had been burning down things all over town. He was caught about a mile from my house. And the worst part was he _knew _my parents were in there. He left a four year old without a family, and killed two innocent people." Sasuke listened quietly; surprised that Naruto was able to talk about it so easily. But from the way that Kiba acted in gym, Sasuke knew that Naruto didn't flaunt the information around.

"I got adopted by a nice man named Iruka when I was six. He's really busy with work and stuff, hardly ever home. He works with the president, so that's kind of cool." He paused before looking back at Sasuke, the smile weak against his lips. "So yea, I don't expect people to want to be near me. That's why I bought you something for your birthday. You're the first person in a long time that I've felt needed by. Even if you are a jerk, ya know?"

Sasuke could only stare. That had happened to the bubbly teenager who would talk until the sun went down? The kid who never stopped to think about the negative parts of his life, or the strange looks people gave him? The boy who had glued the teacher's markers to the ceiling on April fool's day? The teenager that had annoyed his way into Sasuke's life? It was a complete change from everything Sasuke knew about him, and he hated it. Naruto had been smiling and laughing off everyone's insults. It wasn't because he was stupid. It was because he wanted to belong somewhere. The information set something off in himself. The fact that he could almost see the brightness of Naruto's eyes fade made Sasuke's mouth open without his command.

"Hn. I'd kiss you." He didn't know which one of them was more thrown off. Despite his need to freak out and take back what he said, Sasuke kept a cool composure and shrugged at the widened blue eyes. "So stop acting like that. Someone will want you one day."

"Sa-Sasuke…" He wasn't sure if he was externally blushing as hard as he was on the inside. He decided that sleeping in Shikamaru's bed was better than sitting here waiting for Naruto to react. He moved to stand up before his wrist was yanked down, making him fall back on the bed. He let shock only show for a moment before looking up at the teen above him, trying to see unaffected by the closeness of their bodies. He saw the confusion and nervousness that showed clear as day. But he didn't speak. After all, Naruto was the one who pulled him back. "Are you just fucking with me?"

"You're an idiot," Sasuke replied, rolling his eyes. He started to sit up, intending to push the blonde off of him so he could go to sleep.

"Let's kiss." The suggestion stopped Sasuke in his tracks. Looking up at Naruto slowly, determination was the only thing left to see. Sasuke leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the blonde who was now cradled into his lap. There was tension between the two. Maybe Naruto was scared that Sasuke was kidding. Because Sasuke was confident that Naruto was going to grin any moment and throw in some stupid punch line about his ass or some other part of his body. But instead, Naruto nodded his head. "Let's do it."

"Are you crazy?"

"W-Well we're best friends! Best friends help each other out when they're upset! And we can just pretend that we're kissing girls! You said yourself that you don't wanna waste your first kiss-"

"I never said that. I said I didn't see the point in kissing one of those fangirls. I don't like them." For some reason, the pulse in his neck had started to beat faster than before. Staring up into unwavering blue eyes did something to him. By now he was positive that even with his Uchiha pride he was blushing.

"Don't you like me?" How could Naruto kid at a moment like this? When their mouths were barely a few centimeters apart, and he could practically taste the ramen he was sure the dobe had eaten for dinner. He was having trouble keeping their gaze, but he didn't want to be the one to look away. That would show weakness. He pressed his lips together for a moment, attempting to wet the inside of his mouth so Naruto couldn't tell the affect their closeness was having on him. But his battle was lost when Naruto leaned forward, their lips brushing while Naruto repeated his question. "Don't you, Sasuke?"

He wasn't sure who leaned in to start the kiss. Maybe they both did. But what he did know was that his first kiss went to an energetic blonde who used too much tongue way too fast. Despite his complaints, Sasuke closed his eyes and didn't pull away. They always say two things about your first kiss; make it a memorable one and enjoy it. Well, the whole kissing his best guy friend on his birthday in a random cabin made it pretty damn memorable. And the second part wasn't coming as hard as he knew it should have.

Because once Naruto got over the thrill of someone willing to touch him, he let Sasuke take over. The kiss was still messy, because neither knew what they were doing, but Sasuke learned fast that gliding tongues instead of thrusting was a lot more pleasurable. He continued to switch between open and closed mouth kisses, debating if he enjoyed the smoothness of Naruto's lips or the rough nerves of his tongue better. He couldn't pull away even if he wanted to, because two hands had cupped his cheeks to keep him in place. He decided the touch pleased him, because it reminded him of a girl and not because they were Naruto's thumbs stroking his cheeks. He tried to think of any girl he ever though attractive, but no matter what his image came back to blond spiky hair and blue eyes. His dreams haunted him while Naruto's mouth slid against his.

Finally he felt Naruto pull away. There was heavy panting between the two, but Sasuke's didn't want to open his eyes yet. The warmth of his lips was gently starting to cool, and be replaced with slight bruised feeling. He knew it wasn't abnormal; he had heard some of the girls who were hovering around him talk about. But he had never thought it'd be worth it. Quietly he slid his eyes open to see, with slight pride, that Naruto's lips suffered the same damage. They were darker and slightly bruised, but in a way that only enhanced his features positively. Glancing up to his eyes, he noticed a slight dazed expression. He wasn't sure if the teen was still woozy from the kiss or if he was thinking, but a shake of the head made them clear up again. They stared at each other, and it wasn't until Naruto yanked his hands back from Sasuke's cheeks that it suddenly became clear what they had done.

"Shit…" He saw Naruto press the back of his hand to his mouth, glancing away from Sasuke. He took a moment, for what Sasuke wasn't sure, before he spoke again. "Sorry, I just…teme…well you said that stupid thing…I got weird, I know. Shit…I-"

"Shut up." Sasuke didn't want to hear him anymore. There was something about the way he sounded almost regretful that angered Sasuke. Didn't he _ask _for it? Didn't he want it? Yea Sasuke said he'd kiss Naruto, but it was to stop the kid from looking so damn alone. It wasn't like Sasuke wanted to know what Naruto's kiss felt like. He had done what he did because Naruto asked him to, nothing more. The increase in his heartbeat was from lack of air. And the sweet warmth that trickled down through his stomach was something else he'd think of later. And of course his body was aroused; he was now a 17 year old guy!

There was a pause between them, before Naruto smiled. There was no fakeness between his lips, and Sasuke stared at him like he was crazy.

"So…was I good?" Naruto looked almost hopeful as he stared down at Sasuke, both overseeing that fact that having Naruto in Sasuke's lap didn't bother them. In fact, Naruto seemed more relaxed when Sasuke had shifted and slid Naruto closer to try and relive some of the pressure on his groin. Did he enjoy being close to Sasuke? Or was he still thinking of Sasuke as some random girl? Sasuke slowly leaned back on his elbows, thinking of what to say. He knew that he waited longer than he had to, but patience wasn't Naruto's strong suit. In fact, he doubted the blonde even knew what it meant. "Sasuke…."

"You don't know how to kiss. Your tongue practically gagged me, you tasted like ramen, and it was hard to breathe when your fingers kept my mouth from moving. If you ever do kiss a girl, you'll be arrested for suffocation."

"We-well you weren't so perfect either! Jerk!" Naruto hit Sasuke's head before scrambling off of him. He stormed over to Shikamaru's bed, throwing the sheets over his head and burying his face into the pillow. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the overdramatic boy, moving underneath his own sheets and shutting the light off. He closed his eyes, somehow feeling better in that moment than he had all day. "Hey, teme?"

"Yea dobe?"

"Well…thanks. For caring about me I mean. Never knew your hard ass could ever do that." Naruto's laugh filled the room, probably to try and hide his embarrassment. Sasuke took a different route, staying quiet until he knew his voice wouldn't voice his blush.

"You were making a weird face. That's all."

"Yea, well thanks. It…it really meant a lot to me, teme. And happy birthday Sasuke."

"Hn." It was all he could force out, because the fact that Naruto sounded so grateful for a moment of attention from an ass like him, that it hit something deep in Sasuke's stomach. Being unable to pin it to anything he had ever felt before, he decided to try and ignore it. It was the best he could do at the time.

After all, how was the great Uchiha Sasuke supposed to know he was falling in love?

**Yea…I really have no life. =) But I guess in a way that's good for you guys, huh? Well this is part one, I'm still debating if it will be done in one more part, or two. Maybe I'll take some requests for reviews and see which one you guys would prefer. I don't know. I know how I would do it both ways, so I guess it just depends what type of mood I'm in. Can you believe I wrote this in two days? See first sentence as to why. I'm still working on 'Bad Luck had a Brightside' for all of you who are reading that. The last part should be out by next week. I'm actually gonna go start it now. =) I'd really like to see how you liked this one, it's a little different than my other two I think! Just let me know if you want me to continue or whatever. Thanks so much for reading this! **


	2. Promise?

Hello again! Well…I'm actually kind of sad. I didn't get a lot of reviews for this story, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do to make it more interesting. BUT my new story just like, did AMAZING so I'm really happy! Thanks to the ones who did review to me! **Brooding Darkness**, thanks for my first review! **SkorN3d **and **Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo**, thanks a bunch for such inspiring comments! It made me feel better.

**Warning: ****Well it's a SasuNaru story, and it's rated M, so what do you think it has in it? Boyxboy and smut? You got it! **

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Naruto…that's final…-sobs-**

**Promise?**

Cold. It was strange, but the hazy memories fell away to the feel of the cold dirt under him. His body was still, and he could hear several people around him. He moved to speak, to tell someone to shut up the kids crying in the background, but his mouth wouldn't open. In fact, none of his muscles would. His body seemed to stay in a comatose-state while his mind faintly regained consciousness. What was going on around him? And why wouldn't they just help him up?

"Sasuke-kun! Can you hear me?!" Yea, he could hear her. But letting her know that was impossible, since his body was completely shutting down on him. He wondered morbidly if this is how a person in a coma felt. Did they hear the panic? Or were they able to live in their dreams like he was just minutes before? He wanted to go back there. There, his shoulder didn't feel like it was being ripped in half. There was no pain, no sudden need of water, no stomach feeling ready to throw up his breakfast.

"What are we going to do?!" A loud voice shrilled through the air. He could tell it was female, because no boy who had gone through adolescence could get his voice to reach that range. Someone peeled the cloth away from his skin, that was starting to feel very hot. Too hot for it to be just the sun. In truth, he would have thought he was on fire except he was sure more people would be screaming at that point.

"Calm down."

"Calm down?! Shika, he's been bitten by a snake!! And he hasn't moved since! The adults aren't even going to get here for another twenty minutes! What if he's poisoned? What if he's really hu-hurt or…or…" He heard the girl burst into tears, which were soon muffled into something. Sasuke grimaced in his head. Why was everyone crying? If he could just _speak, _he would tell them to stop blubbering.

"Sasuke-kun, please hold on! Help is on the way!"

"It's not going to get here on time…Sakura move! We have to get the poison out of him _now_!" There was that voice again. It felt good to hear, and yet Sasuke had the strange urge to hit whoever owned it.

"What are you doing?! The manual said the only way to get out poison is to use the suction device, but it's not in there! And why are you cutting his shirt off?! Get off him stupid!" The air felt good on his heated body. In fact, the only part of his body that wasn't boiling was the skin that was now covered with a thick liquid. Maybe someone had poured water onto his shoulder? No, even now he could tell it was too dense. It didn't glide, but oozed.

He had been rolled out onto his back, and if he could open his mouth, he would have thanked the person for the relive off his left shoulder. The right one was in enough pain as it was. Skin was cooled instantly at the feel of two rough hands placed on his cheeks. Even though he wasn't able to confirm it, he could feel the odd sense of someone staring at him.

"You listen to me teme! You better not die on me or I'll find your dumb ass and kick it back to life! Do you hear me?! You made a promise…A promise you better keep! I'm going to make you live whether you want to or not!" The person…was really loud. But his words brought an odd sense of calmness in Sasuke's hazy mind. Like somehow, he didn't need to worry about dying. This person, whoever he was, wasn't going to allow it.

So when he felt something wet suck against the spiking pain in his shoulder, he welcomed the darkness that was starting to fill his head again. He could hear the faint shouts and clamor around him, but it was all too slurred for him to comprehend. It wasn't like he minded. He felt something drip onto his bare skin. This time, the liquid glided. The droplets were so small, that he wasn't sure what they were falling from. If he could just open his eyes…

But instead, he faded away; trying to remember the boy he made a promise with.

~**~

"Spit it out." When a little head shook in front of him, Shikamaru sighed. "I tried. Can I go rest now?"

"Shika! She has a crayon in her mouth!" The blonde girl growled and grabbed for his neck, shaking him hard. "Get it out now!!"

"Strangling him won't help," Neji said while Kiba continued to laugh at the pair.

"I bet my money on Ino. She's got that crazy look in her eyes!" At the brunette's excitement, Sasuke nearly groaned. The counselors were sitting in the arts and crafts cabin, letting their kids make colored pictures while they _tried_ to have a meeting. That morning Kakashi had told them that for Friday they would be able to organize a field trip for the four groups. But they had to have their plans in by the end of the day if they were going to go through with it, so that the bus could be booked. He was supposed to tell the two days ago, but he had 'gotten caught up' with other things. So here they sat, trying to get all eight of them to agree on _anything. _Sasuke doubted it would happen.

"Can we start the meeting now?" Naruto asked, squirming in his seat. Half of the reason Naruto did so bad in school was because he couldn't sit still long enough to get through a class. Sasuke had noticed that Naruto found an excuse to walk around in every class he could. But now, forced to stay until the trip was planned, Naruto was going insane. A sadistic part of Sasuke smirked.

"We can't do anything until Ino and Sakura get their kid to spit out her crayon," Kiba said, still watching in amusement at the three counselors' futile attempts.

"Will someone just help us get the crayon out of her mouth?" The slightly distressed look on the Sakura's face did nothing to Sasuke. He had seen it ten times worse when he walked away from his fan girls. But this entire situation was getting annoying. Ino wouldn't stop shouting, Shikamaru looked like a blue balloon ready to pop, and Naruto's weak whines were starting to affect Sasuke in a way he didn't like. So without a word he stood up, moved over to the stubborn girl and crossed his arms.

"Trash. Now." Maybe the Uchiha glare was too much for the girl, because her eyes filled up with tears instantly. Suddenly a blur moved past him, and he glanced to see Naruto quickly pick the crying girl into his arms, shaking his head.

"Hey! Don't be a jerk to her; she's just a little girl." Naruto sent him a warning glare before turning back to the sobbing girl who clung to his neck. The blonde moved to sit on one of the tables, seeming fine with the girl wailing next to his ear. Probably because he was a loud mouth himself. But Sasuke had to admit that Naruto seemed to know exactly how to solve the tears when he pulled a red candy from his pocket, holding it in front of the girl's face. Instantly intrigued by the bright sweet, the girl's tears stopped.

"There you go! Now I know that the big mean Sasuke wasn't very nice, but I'm not like him. I'm super cool and won't be a jerk. Instead, I wanna make a trade with you. You see, that crayon in your mouth is orange, and I _really _like orange. But I don't like red! So how about, you give me your crayon and I'll give you the candy. Okay?" Naruto's obnoxious rambling may have irked Sasuke, but the little girl ate every word. Now the girl easily opened her mouth, pulling the semi-chewed crayon out and holding it out to Naruto. Even though the girls behind him made a noise of disgust, Sasuke couldn't take his eyes away from the truly excited look Naruto gave the little kid before handing her the candy. He patted the girl's head, which caused a huge blush to appear before she hopped off Naruto's lap and ran over to the other kids.

"Wow Naruto…you're…really good with kids." Ino's shock couldn't be masked as Naruto grinned up at her and shrugged. He acted like he wasn't holding a saliva covered crayon, but had won something significant.

"I guess I just get kids. If you talk to them instead of treating them like they're too stupid to understand you, you'd get through to them better. Just because someone's younger than you, doesn't mean they're unaware to what you're saying. Kids are smart, and want something if you're going to take stuff from the. Just like us. It's something I picked up on when I was little, ya know?" Despite the smile that shined on the blonde's face, Sasuke knew he was hurting. While Naruto had been able to understand kids, Sasuke was beginning to see the small cracks of weakness and façade in Uzumaki Naruto. He wasn't always happy, but he faked it anyways. It wasn't like Sasuke cared, but it had just become apparent to him after his birthday.

It had been three days since they had 'experimented'. Sunday morning, he had woken up to an empty cabin, a note on Shikamaru' bed saying that Naruto had to get home before Iruka found out he was gone. On Monday when they saw each other, it had been strained. The cleaning on the cafeteria was quiet, until…

Oh yea. The idiot, staying true to his nature, did something only he could do.

"_Dobe!" Sasuke had jumped back from the water that was spilling on the floor. He glared up at the boy who quickly righted the now empty mop bucket, glancing at Sasuke with a hesitant smile._

"_I guess it can't hold my weight then." This had to be the biggest idiot Sasuke had ever met._

"_Of course not. It's a mop bucket."_

"_Shut up teme! You aren't helping anything with being so negative."_

"_Hn." It seemed the lack of response only angered the blonde more, because he splashed his way through the soapy water to shove his finger into Sasuke's chest. _

"_Why is there a permanent stick up your ass? I made a mistake, big whoop; I do it all the time. At least I can admit mine." The two stared at each other in silence, Naruto's finger still pressed into Sasuke's chest. Something hard clenched around Sasuke's stomach at the blue stare, which never glared at him in true hatred. Sure, he they pushed each other's buttons. It was probably the reason that the two stayed around each other so much. Every conversation was a challenge, every stare a competition, and every breaking point the difference between winning and losing. Finally, Sasuke rolled his eyes and hit Naruto's finger away from him._

"_I would admit my mistake if I made one," Sasuke said, glaring for a moment before moving to turn away. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. But the sudden jerking against his wrist proved the teenager was not done._

"_What about your birthday?" Another tug caused Sasuke to face his opponent again. _

"_What about it?" He challenged. The fingers tightened on his wrists, as if the words actually stung Naruto. But it didn't show in his frustrated glare._

"_You know what I'm talking about. The only thing that entire night that could be considered a mistake." Feeling the need to get out of this suddenly uncomfortable situation, Sasuke tried to jerk his wrist back. But the fingers stayed strong, succeeding in pulling Sasuke hard into his chest, the two stumbling into the wall. Why was it so impossible to stay on his feet around the dobe?_

"_Now look what you did." _

"_You were being dumb, trying to get away from me. You know, even if you ran, I'm probably faster than you." The grin was so sudden, it caught Sasuke off guard. Composing himself a few seconds after, Sasuke rolled his eyes in true Uchiha fashion. _

"_Not with all the ramen you eat. I think Sakura should call you the pig instead of Ino." It looked like Naruto had a hard time coming up with a comeback. He stared up at Sasuke, his nose pinched in anger. The moment was long, too long for Sasuke. Because it gave him the time to notice just how close they had moved toward each other. Their bodies were slightly pressed together, against the wall in a way that with anyone but the dobe, would have been romantic. But here, it was a battle position. Or, so Sasuke thought until Naruto opened that stupidly interesting mouth. _

"_You're just too grown up. Always spewing shit about how I eat or how I act. Like…like you're an adult! You always just…have to plan for the future. Like you'll fucking melt if you don't have goals mapped out! Teme you're a…a 60 year old stuck in a seventeen year old's body! I bet you that damn kiss was the only thing in your life you've never planned on!" Sasuke moved to respond, but stopped. What could he say besides something that would show how dangerous Naruto's analysis had been?_

"_Shut up dobe. You know nothing about me, and you never will." As if seeing the fight inside of Sasuke's eyes, Naruto's attack turned soft. _

"_What bothers you about me is that I don't plan shit. That I'd easily do something without sitting down and weighing every fucking pro and con." _

"_What 'bothers' me is your mouth."_

"_I could have told you that, it's what started this stupid thing." Why was he so obsessed with the kiss that _he _had asked for? _

"_Stop bringing it up. It's becoming annoying."_

"_Don't like remembering your mistakes?"_

"_It wasn't a mistake." He snapped it out so suddenly, that neither boy expected it. Sasuke glared away from Naruto, staring off at the wall instead. He wasn't exactly sure if he meant it or not, but either way he wasn't going to take it back. The boy was making him forget just who he was. Uchiha Sasuke shouldn't even be wasting him time. So why was he?_

"_Uh…so then…what was it?" _

"_Hn." Sasuke glanced back to the boy in front of him, smirking a bit when Naruto growled. He almost found it funny how animalistic Naruto could let himself be. Using his free hand, he pulled Naruto's hold off of his wrist, unknowingly keeping their touch alive between their hands. "People who have the intelligence of a rock should not think."_

"_I'm smart damnit! I got you to kiss me didn't I?!" _

"_You told me to think of a girl." He didn't wait for Naruto to answer, pulling away from him and moving back to the mess on the floor. He stared at it for a moment and shook his head, walking toward the exit of the cafeteria. _

"_Hurry up and clean this dobe. I'm not waiting outside forever." He wasn't sure if it was the threat or the meaningful glare he sent back at the blonde that got him to move. Either way, Naruto had sulked over to the drenched area, slamming the mop to the ground and muttering under his breath. Knowing it was probably about him, Sasuke smirked and walked outside, staring up at the cloudy night. _

_In truth, he didn't answer Naruto because he wasn't sure. Yes, he knew (after a few minutes of deliberation) that he hadn't lied about it being something other than a mistake. He had done it on purpose, had allowed it to continue, and didn't really care that it had occurred. He could say it was what Naruto had claimed as 'a friend helping another friend. But he never would have kissed Neji or Shikamaru, and he was sure they could now be considered friends. In fact the idea of kissing either one of them was not something Sasuke wanted to think about for long. It bothered him just as like it should. Just like it should have bothered him with Naruto. _

_But he wouldn't lie to himself in denying the experience had been…different. Something he was sure he would have encountered with a girl, and not some dobe who annoyed him more than almost anything else he had ever dealt with. Fangirls excluded. He was totally out of line, saying that Sasuke acted too mature for his age. And the kiss was not the only thing he had not planned, several things went unnoted in his life._

_Like Naruto. The boy himself was not meant to be there. In fact, in any other circumstance, with any other irritating person, they would have been dealt with and removed. So why wasn't Naruto gone?_

"_Hey Teme! If you stare any harder your eyes are going to pop right out of your head!" Laughter at the attempted humor filled the air as Sasuke looked over to the boy in question. He watched Naruto continue to laugh, feeling an odd sense of relaxation at the sound. Despite the many things that Naruto did to get under his skin, Sasuke had to admit that having the teenager around was a breath of fresh air. Nobody fought with Sasuke. Nobody joked or argued. Nobody cared. Most of his conversations were pointless rambling or plain boredom. Even his parents let him do whatever he wanted without much of a fight. So to have someone like Naruto barge into his life and turn it upside down? It made Sasuke feel normal. _

_So normal, he allowed Naruto to rant and complain as they walked back to the cabins, feeling his smile unnaturally hard to hide with every step. _

"Sasuke-kun! What idea do you like the best?!" The sudden shout next to his ear jolted him back to the conversation at hand, seeing seven pairs of eyes staring at him. He would have blushed if not for the fact that he was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's never blushed. Instead, he shrugged indifferently.

"None."

"See? I told you, he's an unsastisfiable bastard."

"Naruto, that's not even a word," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. Naruto blinked before crossing his arms and raising his voice.

"Sure it is! It means not being able to be satisfied!"

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

"What about taking them to a mattress store?" All of the counselors glanced to Shikamaru, who shrugged and leaned his arms back on the table. "Fine."

"What about a sports game? Kid's love those things!" Kiba suggested, Neji shaking his head.

"No. Too much money. I say the museum."

"But what kid wants to go to a boring museum? I say that we take them to a movie!" Sakura said, glancing to Sasuke and giggling.

"No," Sasuke said flatly, giving no reason for his denial. But he had one. He was sure if they had gone, the pink-haired girl would have found another way to try and get them alone. It wasn't that Sasuke hated her, because she seemed like a genuinely good person. She was very patient with her kids. And by the way that Ino was panicking over one of her kids keeping a non-toxic crayon in his mouth while Sakura simply asked for help; Sakura seemed to handle stress better. But whenever she got a chance, Sakura went crazy over him. The unnecessary touching was not something that Sasuke enjoyed about her. The only relief he got from it was when Naruto somehow pissed her off.

"You dummy!" Like now, for instance. Sakura looked annoyed, while the dobe only seemed to widen his grin. "The playground? What kind of a field trip is that?!"

"Uhm…I th-think it's a go-good idea…" At Hinata's meek approval, Naruto nodded.

"Come on Sakura, kids love monkey bars. I used to play on them all the time when the babysitter would bring me to the park."

"No way. We're picking a different field trip." As if to emphasis her point, Sakura hit the back of Naruto's head. The boy whined and covered the spot with his hands.

"It's not a bad idea, but they could do that with their parents whenever. And do we want to be boring? I sure as hell don't." Ino said, shaking her head at the thought. The blonde seemed to pause in her thoughts before she snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"

"What?" Shikamaru asked, looking up from his resting spot.

"The beach! It's outside, so the kids won't get antsy. Also, it's a great place to do lots of activities like sand castles and sea shell walks. It'll be fun, and we'll all be able to get a tan," Ino explained, glancing around the group. When nobody seemed to protest, Ino leaned against Hinata and gently nudged her side. "Plus, we can see all the cute guys there! It's the perfect place to scope out hotties."

"O-Oh!" Hinata's face instantly lit up at the suggestion, glancing down to her hands, which her nervously fumbling against each other. Glancing to Neji, Sasuke watched his friend glare to Ino and pull Hinata away from her, resting a protective arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Stop embarrassing her, or else I'll make sure to throw you toward a shark. With meat stuck to every limb of your body. Covered in blood." Neji's threats made the group go pale, slowly inching away from the protective cousin. Even Sasuke wanted to move, but didn't because of sheer pride. After all, he could glare worse than that. Laughing very weakly at the still glowering Hyuga, Ino placed her hands in front of her as an offering of peace.

"O-Okay..m-more boys for m-me! Haha…ha…" Ino smiled and instantly relaxed when Neji slowly nodded and stopped his eye assault. She had lived another day.

"I thought you were into Sasuke?" Shikamaru's sudden interest in the conversation was strange, since he had been nearly asleep seconds earlier. But now he was staring at Ino, a small frown on his face.

"Not anymore. What with senior year coming up, I can't just wait around for him to realize I'm hot!" Sasuke snorted at Ino's reply. It couldn't be because he wasn't interested in her; it had to be because he was oblivious. These girls were more arrogant than Naruto.

"…Troublesome girl." But to Sasuke, Shikamaru didn't seem to add the normal bored tone to his voice when he laid his head back down. In fact, the several glances back to the girl throughout the rest of the conversation confirmed just how unsettled his co-counselor was.

"So are we all in agreement? The beach is a go?" Ino asked. Suddenly the other blonde jumped at Ino, hugging her tightly and laughing. "Naruto! Get off of me!"

"This is the best idea yet! You rock Ino!" At the compliment the girl blushed, shrugging. Suddenly her struggle against the affectionate boy dropped, letting him continue. "We can make the sea shell collection a contest! Whoever gets the most can get a free ice cream. Oh, and the sand castle one too. Well we'll tell them that, but they'll all dessert of course! And you girls can make sandwiches, and I'll go tell Kakashi about the bus…this is great! The beach!"

"Calm down, we still have to find out what beach we're going to before we tell Kakashi anything," Sakura said, though smiled at the over excited boy. At the mention of location, Kiba spoke.

"There's a beach down a couple miles from here. Sunagakure beach. I used to go there a lot when I was younger. It's actually a really safe place, and there haven't been any shark sightings there since they put up the repelling nets. And they always have volleyball nets up, so I can impress the kids and kick fox boy's ass at the same time." At the information, Naruto quickly jumped away from Ino and onto the table, pointing down at Kiba and laughing.

"You wish! You got lucky in the basketball game, because I was about to steal the ball and dunk it for the win!"

"Oh yea? You want a rematch?"

"You bet! Me and Shikamaru against you and Sasuke! And this time, no conveniently placed tar to get in my way!"

"The whole place was made of tar, dobe." Sasuke muttered, angry at the thought of being dragged into their fight again. He looked to Shikamaru for aid, but the boy was still looking at Ino. The slight wrinkle in his nose was unusual, as well as Shika not taking the opportunity to sleep. Still, Sasuke kept silent. It wasn't his business to pry into Shikamaru's personal life.

"Your so on kitsune."

"Bring it on dog-breath." Before he had to listen to another word of their pointless fighting, Sasuke sent one last glare to Naruto before standing up, walking away from the table. At the moment, the kids seemed like a better bet of not being put away for manslaughter.

The preparations for the fieldtrip made the days fly by. Between the bus, permission slips retrieval, abundance of brown bagged lunches, and heavy dreams that woke him with problems, Sasuke was more than ready for Friday to come. So when the bus started to move Friday morning, Sasuke should have been relaxed. He planned on Shikamaru sleeping next to him, giving him time to think in silence. But when the bubble-gum haired girl sat down next to him, Sasuke felt any thought of relaxation go away.

"Hey Sasuke-kun, is it okay if I sit here with you?" Sakura asked, tilting her head toward him. He wanted to say no, but he knew it would probably end up worse than if he dealt with her for the twenty minutes he had to on the bus. So instead, he crossed his arms and glanced out the window.

"Hn." Taking that as a sign of approval Sakura sat down next to him and giggled, glancing around the bus in excitement. He heard the two arguing co-counselors sit in front of them, spiky blonde hair peeking over the seat.

"Are you excited for the beach?" Sakura asked, leaning against him slightly. Pulling back from her, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't touch me," He said, Sakura blushing as she glanced to her lap.

"Oh I-I'm sorry. It's just, you're really cute Sasuke-kun, and I feel at ease with you." Her blush darkened to the point where it matched her hair. Sasuke stared at her for a few seconds before he sighed.

"Just try not to do it again." She giggled and nodded quickly, instantly perking up at his words. He didn't know why she was so infatuated with him, especially when he tried to make his feelings clear. Still she, as well as every other fangirl, didn't want to give up.

"Sasuke-kun, do you want to walk with me on the beach today? I heard the sun is setting right before we're going to leave."

"We have a job to do; this is not a vacation for us."

"I know that, I do! But, we could get Shikamaru and Ino to watch the kids for a bit while we go see the sunset. It's supposed to be the best spot in this entire area to see it!" He was going to reply before a loud groan interrupted them, Naruto turning and slightly glaring at the two.

"Can you flirt a little quieter? Some of us are trying to have a normal conversation here. I don't want to hear the future Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha flirt." Even though he grinned after his teasing, Sasuke saw the slight anger that bubbled beneath blue irises. So instead of denying the accusation, he listened to Sakura's embarrassed reply.

"Naruto! Stop listening to our conversation!"

"Well it's not like I wanted to hear you trying to snuggle with the teme!" Naruto glanced to Sasuke for a moment, smiling faker than before. "Just go out with the girl, I'm sure she won't bite."

"What do you know dobe?"

"More than you! You're lucky this seat is between us or I'd hurt you!" The younger teen growled before he was yanked closer to Kiba, an arm wrapped around his shoulders while the brunette laughed. Sasuke stared at the hand on Naruto's shoulder for a few seconds, a bitter taste filling his mouth.

"Aw leave them alone Naruto, it's just the way the Uchiha works. Don't need to get jealous of his skills," Kiba said, Naruto's growl growing louder than before.

"I'm not jealous of Sasuke!" He glared to Sasuke, who arched a brow in return. There, unnoticed by most, was a tint of red that rose up onto Naruto's cheeks. The two stared at each other for a few moments, Sasuke watching Naruto's blush steadily grow to the point where anyone could have noticed if they were watching. But Kiba was too busy teasing the girl in the seat next to him to notice.

"Hey…"

"We're at the beach guys! Look at how pretty the water looks!" Ino's sudden call accompanied by the abrupt stop of the bus broke off the prolonged eye contact. Naruto, coming to his senses, shook his head and pushed Kiba out of the seat, running out of the bus.

"Jesus Naruto! Wait up a second."Seeing the boy was already off of the bus, Kiba pushed himself up onto his feet, brushing his shift and swim trunks off. "Damn what is wrong with that kid lately…"

Sasuke looked out the window at Kiba's words. Easily he found the blonde, who was laughing as the camp girl from before clung to his leg. The other kids pouted at the extra attention she got, but Naruto said something that made them all smile. It seemed no matter who he was talking to, Naruto's mood rubbed off of them. But the blush that most could have excused as heat still lingered. Why had Naruto gotten so upset with Sakura? He had been listening to her attempts for weeks now.

"Sasuke-kun? The bus is empty now." Sasuke pulled his gaze away from Naruto to look over to Sakura, who was staring at him in concern. "Are you feeling okay? You were staring off."

"I'm fine," He said quickly. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as she glanced out the window herself. She seemed to watch Naruto as well before looking back to Sasuke. The sadness that filled her voice was apparent, despite her attempt to hide it.

"You and Naruto have been getting along. I think you've become friendlier."

"Hn."

"…And, sometimes I see you two watching each other while you think nobody is looking." She had seen that? The way she put it made it seem less friendly and more…intimate.

"…It's your imagination."

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura glanced to her lap, and Sasuke watched the slight drop of her head and shoulders. It almost looked like she had been defeated by an invisible force. Something in her eyes flickered, but from the angle they were in, he couldn't tell what it was. The look didn't stop her from talking. "Naruto is really lonely. He may act tough and laugh a lot, but there are times where he just…stares off. I don't think he realizes he does it, but the look he gets is heartbreaking. I've known him ever since Iruka brought him home, and even though he's grown and almost an adult, I…I still see that little helpless boy.

"I'm asking you to do something for me, Sasuke-kun. Naruto is an idiot, and he may get on all of our nerves at times, but…" She looked up at him, and Sasuke could finally see the crushed look in her eyes. She struggled for a moment to find her words, slight tears starting to show themselves. Her voice had changed dramatically from the gushy love-sick voice, into her normal tone. It was strange but relieving. "Please don't let him be alone again. You two really do need each other, more than you know."

She had left after that, no attempt to touch him in her departure. She had simply closed her eyes and smiled before walking off of the bus. He watched her leave, moving over to Ino and Shikamaru. But what made him realize what she was giving up was when Sakura fell against Ino, her arms hanging limply at her sides. The blond seemed shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered and hugged her friend. The rubbing motion of Ino's hand down Sakura's back signaled Sasuke that she was crying. And even though he didn't like the girl in the way she had wanted him to for several years, he still felt pain for her. So he stayed on the bus, waiting until he saw that the tears had dried and she was smiling again before he moved off of it. They exchanged glances for a few seconds, before Sakura grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the beach. And for the first time, Sasuke truly didn't mind her friendly gesture.

The day went better than Sasuke had expected. The kids were so distracted by the sand and water; they didn't have time to become destructive. The sandcastle competition broke up into groups, seeing what team could create the best castle. The surprising winners were Hinata and Neji's group, showing just how artistic the Hyuga family was. And in celebration, Kiba and Naruto threw Neji into the water, soaking him to the bone. Soon after the boys found themselves trying to dig their heads out of the sand.

Sakura had convinced Sasuke to come into the water with her and Ino (more like threatened to send every fangirl pictures of him with his shirt off), the blonde trying to scope out hot boys who could surf. But as soon as his body got wet, girls swarmed the area. For once, Sakura didn't glare and growl at the girls, but laughed. Apparently, seeing how she used to been made her decision to stop chasing after him a lot easier to bear. Attempting to ignore the open staring of the girls around them, Sasuke watched the two try to jump waves while he tried to find a way to get back to the book he had left on his towel. Maybe if he pretended to be sick…

"Oh my god!!" Suddenly he was thrown back a few steps when Sakura's body crashed into his. They fell back into the sand, a wave crashing hard against them. Spitting out the salt water in his mouth, Sasuke ignored the pain in the back of his head from the fall and glared down at the girl quivering against him.

"Get off."

"There's a snake Sasuke!! A snake!" The fear was enough to knock the 'kun' off the end of his name. That put him at ease in knowing that Sakura really _wasn't _trying to get closer, but was actually scared of the 'snake'. Still, Sasuke hit his forehead, pushing the girl off of him and back onto her butt. Standing up, he felted the slimy string of green and pulled it out of the water, holding it up for Sakura to see.

"Seaweed."

"I-It…looked like a snake…" Sasuke would have killed the girl if there weren't so many witnesses. So instead, he dropped the plant into the water before walking back toward his towel. And the day continued without much fighting. Until the volleyball match came.

"Come on teme! Everyone else is playing!" Sasuke glared up from his spot under the shade of the umbrella, staring at Naruto's wrinkled nose. He guessed it was from anger, and that he didn't even realize he was doing it.

"No."

"Why not?! Our teams are uneven if you don't play."

"Find someone else." Sasuke moved to resume reading his book, but a yank at his wrist pulled him to his feet. The sand was not good to dig his heel in, and he easily slid behind the blond who somehow mustered strength Sasuke didn't even know he had.

"You're playing, whether you want to or not," Naruto said, making Sasuke roll his eyes. The boy was as reasonable as a brick wall. And probably just as smart.

"Why is it so important I play?"

"Because _everyone _is playing! I want everyone there; I want…I want…" Naruto stopped in the sand, turning to face Sasuke and smiling. He tightened his grip on Sasuke's wrist, unintentionally pulling him closer. The downcast stare seemed hesitant, from what Sasuke couldn't tell. It reminded him of the Naruto that sat on his bed during his birthday, reliving the death of his parents. That was not the path that Sasuke wanted to go down again. Already he could feel the strange burning inside of him. How Naruto was able to force such a strong reaction he wasn't sure. But it was obvious that Naruto was struggling for words. So Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked forward, now reversing the roles of puller and pulled.

"You talk too much," Sasuke mumbled, keeping his eyes on the emerging volleyball net. Making sure the others still couldn't hear, Sasuke continued. "Fine, I'll play…" _Just don't give me that look again_.

"Really? Awesome! I want to see the look on you and dog-breath's faces when I spike the winning ball right in front of you!" Naruto's laugh was enough to cool down the sensation inside Sasuke's chest. He let Naruto drop his wrist and run over to the others, chatting excitedly about something that probably involved him. He watched in both confusion and discomfort. He didn't like where this was going. Did it really feel this good just being someone's friend? Was this what he had been missing? But if Naruto was just a friend, why didn't he get this bothered by the others?

But there was one thing that Sasuke was sure of. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He was delving deeper than he needed.

"Sasuke-kun, come on! You're with us!" Sasuke looked up to the bubbly girl, who seemed to return to herself as she waved to him. Welcoming the thought of using the game to get his mind off of Naruto, Sasuke jogged over to Sakura, Ino, and Kiba. The teams played hard, neither side giving up many points. The game didn't last long before the kids saw the ice cream truck and ran onto the court to their appropriate counselors. Since the score was in their favor, Kiba declared their team the winners. But Naruto wouldn't admit it, saying that they hadn't played a full game. The two argued and pouted throughout the entire ice cream ordeal, neither making leeway with their stubborn friend.

And all too suddenly, it was over. For one girl in particular.

"Aw man! All this scouting and I didn't even see one suitable new boy! And I've only got twenty minutes left of sunset. Then we have to bring the kids home so their parents can pick them up."Ino pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking out at the water. Sasuke shook his head at the dramatic girl, glancing to Shikamaru when he sighed. The three were sitting at the edge of the water, letting Sakura and Neji take care of the kids. The team had used the kid's Popsicle sticks to see who would have to deal with the gathering of kids. And lucky for Sasuke, who had enough of the kids after one dropped ice cream into his shorts, Sakura and Neji picked the shortest sticks. That left the others to do what they wanted. Naruto had disappeared as soon as he had been cleared of clean-up, but Sasuke hadn't seen where. He was too amused at the death glare Neji was sending Kiba, who had convinced Hinata to play in the waves with him. Deciding that Shikamaru and Ino were his safest bet, he stayed away from the others.

"What's your sudden need to find a guy? You're fine on your own." Shikamaru said lazily from his laid back position.

"I just wanted to have a romantic walk on the beach with a really cute guy. One that really wants to be with me." Sasuke couldn't understand the girl's need for attention. Maybe because he was on the complete opposite spectrum, getting way too much attention from people who he didn't want it from.

"Troublesome girl." Shikamaru's famous words were suddenly followed by an uncharacteristic move. Slowly he stood up, brushing the sand from his body before he held his hand out to her. Ino's surprise was evident on her face, though she slowly reached up to place her hand into his. At the feeling, Shikamaru pulled her to her feet and started to walk, still watching the crashing waves on the shore. And as the two walked away, Sasuke guessed it was the blush that Shikamaru was trying to hide from Ino.

"Hey! Emo boy!" Knowing the obnoxious voice, Sasuke glared over to Kiba. Seeming to ignore the look, Kiba pointed off to a long set of rocks that almost looked like a road out into the sea. "Go get fox-boy for me! He's out there on the jetty."

"Why can't _you _do it?" Sasuke asked, crossing his arms. Even so, he could feel himself standing up.

"Because...I…uh…I have to go walk the beach with Hinata to make sure we left nothing behind. Ya know a patrol or whatever." Hearing her name, Hinata gently poked her head out from behind Kiba and shyly waved to Sasuke. The girl, who normally was extremely nervous and timid around boys, seemed to be fine with the closeness of Kiba's body. And Sasuke knew that if Neji noticed the same thing he did, Kiba's head would be in serious trouble.

"Hn. Call us if I'm not back in 15 minutes. Don't let the bus leave without us." But instead of warning the boy who smirked back at the blushing girl, Sasuke waved them away before walking toward the rock formation.

It wasn't hard to find the mop of blonde hair. He was sitting at the edge of the rocks, staring out at the ocean that reflected the sunset onto the water. The wind blew some of the crashing water into Sasuke's eyes, but he ignored it as he moved to sit next to Naruto. Not seeming to hear his arrival, the teen jumped.

"Gah! Make some noise when you come up on people like that! You'd make a ninja scared." Rolling his eyes at the ridiculous banter, Sasuke stared out at the ocean. It had been a while since he had been somewhere this isolated. It was naturally quiet, and he could see the yellow tinted waves crashing down into the murky blue waters, which darkened to black from the coming night sky.

"Kiba sent me to get you. What you're doing out here is a mystery. Thought someone like you died from separation anxiety if away from people too long." Finally pulling his eyes back to the now fuming boy, he watched the rusty orange sunlight cut across his face. It made his eyes glow in a way that made him look mythical. As if somehow, he would disappear and Sasuke would wake up alone.

"You shut up! I can be away from people any time I want, you just watch me. I never asked for you to come here, you came on your own."

"Kiba was probably worried you fell into the water doing something stupid. Didn't want to deal with the brats alone," Sasuke replied, shrugging and grabbing a rock, skipping it across the water two times before it got taken by a wave. Seeing this as a challenge rather than boredom, Naruto picked up a rock and mimicked the actions.

"You shouldn't worry about me. I'm sure the others are wondering where you are. Especially Sakura. What if she sees a snake or something?" At the random last comments, Sasuke watched the irritated boy next to him throw another rock into the water.

"Sakura is with Neji getting the kids together dobe. Think with your head, water snakes don't live on buses."

"I'm sure you wish you got the short stick, huh?" Another rock was thrown much farther than the others, not seeming to care about the skipping challenge anymore. Sasuke's eyebrow arched slowly at the actions. Somehow, the dobe's mood had gotten sour.

"You're acting weird, dobe."

"No I'm not! How would you know anyways?!" As if the statement frustrated him, Naruto shut his eyes tightly. The rock in his hand was held by a white knuckled grip.

"Because an idiot like you can't hide anything well." More upset over Naruto's irritation than he wanted, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared out at the water. "What, you want her or something?"

"Who?"

"The only her that's been mentioned idiot."

"Jerk."

"Dobe."

"Teme!" Sasuke sighed at the pointless fight. Trying to keep on topic, he let the name battle go.

"Sakura. Do you like or something?" He saw Naruto's eyes open quickly at the name, glancing up at him.

"What if I did? You going to fight me for her or something?"

"If I wanted Sakura, she'd be my girlfriend," Sasuke said bluntly. He didn't expect the sudden relaxation in the other's body, or the look of hesitant relief. But thinking it over, it made Sasuke feel a bit uncomfortable. Did Naruto really want to be with Sakura? Granted, she was a pretty girl, but she was never quite the type Sasuke thought Naruto would work well with. She was too much like him. Too violent and loud. Naruto needed a person who wouldn't make rash decisions, and would be able to keep the boy in check. He needed someone who wouldn't fall for his attempts at fighting unless necessary to keep him in line. Naruto had to be with a guy that wasn't afraid to hurt him or tell him to shut up wh—

Wait. Did he just say….a _guy?_

"So…you don't like her then?"

"No idiot. So go ahead." He wasn't sure why he was so snappy. Maybe it was because he was tired or stressed from the kids. After all, he blamed his dreams on them, why not the irritation he felt too?

"I never said I wanted to! I don't like Sakura like that, she hits me too much," Naruto shouted, squirming a bit in his spot a bit before continuing. "I just wanted to know if…well ya know, if you swapped spit or something with her."

"That's disgusting."

"It's just what they call it. You know, necking, French kiss, make out….it all means the same."

"Just say kiss Naruto, or is that too hard for you?" The comment must have angered Naruto, because a hard grab at his shoulders brought the two to face each other. Trying to roll his shoulders away from the vice grips, Sasuke snorted. "You make everything too physical. Leave it to a dobe like you to use force instead of intelligence."

"Just answer the damn question!" He watched Naruto's anger rise, but something else weaved its way into Naruto's eyes. Fear. It made Sasuke's eyebrows dip in thought. Why would Naruto be scared if he had kissed Sakura? He just admitted he wanted nothing to do with her. The blonde idiot wasn't making sense.

"When would I have had time to do anything with Sakura?" Sasuke asked slowly. Naruto huffed before he looked away, his hands tightening on Sasuke's shoulders.

"When you two were fooling around in the water today. She was jumping all over you. It was like watching some horrible romance movie."

"What, were you watching me?" A slight blush on Naruto's cheeks was not what Sasuke expected.

"It's not like that! She…she screamed, and I thought she'd be some hot chick in need of saving, not Sakura rolling around with a jerk like you in the water."

"I didn't ask her to do anything, especially kiss. I'd never kiss her or any other fangirl for that matter." The explanation caused Naruto's tense fingers to relax, slowly dropping from their position on Sasuke's shoulders to rest on the rocks. The motion slid Naruto over him, his chest now leaning above Sasuke's thigh. Sasuke tensed when he felt the boy's arm brush against his back, Naruto's arms now resting along either side of Sasuke's body. But since Sasuke had never moved his legs from the side of the jetty, the other hand rested between open legs. It was enough to stir the unwanted image of Naruto doing _other _things in that same area.

"But Sakura isn't just a fangirl! She's our friend." Naruto, oblivious as ever, didn't seem to notice their position.

"So what?"

"So you've…we've…" Sasuke didn't like where this was going. The last time they had been this close, bad things had happened. Or at least, things that should have been bad. But watching how red mixed with the orange sun rays on Naruto's cheeks, Sasuke wasn't so sure. Did Naruto do this to all of his friends? Or was it as different to him as it was to Sasuke?

"We what?"

"You've kissed other people before you know! And they were friends! Friends you probably didn't even like or whatever, but still friggen friends. Don't give me that bull shit , acting like it matters what one it is. Friends are friends, right?"

"So how many friends have you kissed, _Naruto?" _He wasn't sure why he leaned closer or let his eyes narrow in anger. But somehow, the idea of Naruto kissing Sakura was even more unpleasant than seeing them together. It made his fists dig into the rock to keep him from hitting the stammering teenager in front of him.

"We're not talking about me you jerk! I'm not the one with all the fangirls after me. I'm not the one with all the damn choices. You could have any one of them now; you got rid of your first kiss. Any girl, fangirl or friend, would want to do it with your ugly face. So why aren't you taking advantage of it?"

"I don't want to, obviously."

"Well why the hell not?!"

"Idiot, it's just…" Sasuke stopped himself, looking back out at the dying sun. What was wrong with him? He didn't have to answer Naruto at all. All he was sent to do was grab the idiot and bring him back to the bus. And once again, the little blonde decided he wanted to change the rules of the game. So now they sat here, dissecting why it was that Sasuke hadn't kissed somebody else in the time that had lapsed. In fact, it was the first time Sasuke himself had asked that question. Why hadn't he asked it sooner? "It's just different. You're different."

"You're rambling teme. What do you mean I'm 'different'? If you're making fun of my intelligence again, I'll kick your ass!"

"Leave it to you to make anything into fighting words." Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes. In an attempt to keep Naruto focused, he flicked his forehead before continuing. "I just mean you're different from my other…friends."

"Different how?"

"Leave it."

"What?! Sasuke!"

"No."

"Just tell me!"

"I can't."

"Why not?!"

"Because I don't know why! You just _are._" Sasuke's lips opened before he could stop himself. He knew the admission shocked both of them, watching Naruto's eyes widen in front of him. Trying to keep his surprise hidden, Sasuke glared away. He didn't want to see what would happen next. The whole situation was absurd. He seemed to lose all of his inhibition around Naruto. Things that he didn't want to feel came bubbling to the surface, and words he should have never said slipped easily from his tongue. And when he finally did want to speak, to insult his way out of the conversation, his mouth wouldn't open. The whole scene was wrong.

But the warmth that pressed against his mouth was right. Being so caught up in his own thoughts, Sasuke wasn't prepared for the kiss Naruto dived into. Hands were pressing his face closer, while an all too familiar tongue swept its way across his lips. Barely putting up a fight, Sasuke parted his lips to wrestle back the intrusion, forcing the battle to wage in Naruto's mouth. He felt himself turning toward the other boy, dragging an arm around the shivering boy's waist to pull him down to the rocks beneath them. Neither seemed to care about their skin as Sasuke slid on the rocks between Naruto's legs, pushing them apart with his torso. Still the war between their mouths continued, Sasuke placing his forearms on either side of Naruto's shoulder.

He nearly moaned at the feel of Naruto's body under his. It was so strange, rubbing against something that four weeks ago, Sasuke wouldn't have even looked at. Still his body shivered when their shirts slid up from the friction of their movements, his pale skin brushing against tanned abs. It sent a pulse of heat into his body.

"A-ah." Naruto's mouth pulled from his to moan in delight. Sasuke panted to catch his breath, slowly glancing down until the sight of the teen's erratic pulse called to him. He didn't care anymore about who or what he was doing. He sunk his lips down at brush the skin, taking the sharp intake of breath by the blond as an invitation. He could taste the salt from the beach water when his tongue glided over the tempting skin, but he didn't care. The muffled noises that would occasionally slip from Naruto were enough to ignore it. The sounds were too intoxicating to pay no attention to. And a sudden thrust from tanned hips into pale ones made Sasuke bite the skin from pleasure. "O-Ow! Damnit te-teme!"

"Hn." Like he was going to apologize. Instead, he licked the spot slowly, the shivers passing between them when the younger teen found a steady rhythm between their hips. The rocking was starting to make Sasuke's mind hazy, but he knew he was better off than the dobe. One light brush of his lips on Naruto's outer ear made the boy jerk his hips faster. Closing his eyes, Sasuke forced himself to keep the moan in his throat. He would suffocate before he would admit how good Naruto's body felt beneath him.

The hip movements had become erratic grinding. Neither held a pace or tempo, but simply tried to push their way through hindering clothes. A hand slid into Sasuke's hair, and he was pulled back down hard to another kiss. His hands gripped onto the rocks beneath them, knowing that this was going to turn dangerous soon. If they kept this up, this lustful grinding of their bodies, there would be no way to turn back. Sasuke wasn't even sure they could now. Because knowing that Naruto was willingly pressing against him was bringing back the once disturbing memories of his dreams. Something that seemed not so upsetting now.

A sudden ringtone pulled Sasuke back sharply. The two were heaving from the fierce play, their eyes never leaving each other. He could feel a hand sliding down between them, grabbing the phone that hid away in Naruto's shorts. Finally the gaze broke when the blonde flipped open the phone, looking away.

"Y-Yea?" There was a pause, and Naruto's head nodded. "O-Okay….no I'm fine, me and…and the te-teme were fighting…yea yea d-dog-breath." Naruto shut the phone before falling back onto the rocks, Sasuke slowly pulling himself away. This was madness. All he had wanted to do was bring Naruto back to the bus, and somehow they ended up out of breath and aroused out of their minds.

"Take deep breaths and pinch yourself. Pain will help it." Even if his mind was racing, Sasuke was not going to show it. Instead, he forced himself to calm down, which seemed to come easier for him than Naruto. As it was, the boy's breathing was shaky and his blush was easily able to be seen now. Sasuke sighed, pulling himself up to stand before glancing back toward the bus. "Hurry up."

"I'm trying damnit!" Naruto shouted. The sudden distraction seemed to do the trick, because Naruto was up and pulling Sasuke toward the bus within seconds. Sasuke glanced to the hand that had forced his way into his own, their fingers locked. It felt strange. Then again, the two were perfectly fine with their touching a minute before. He stayed silent in his thoughts, letting Naruto pull him off of the jetty and straight onto the bus. Their walking continued past the seat he had shared with Sakura, not that it really mattered. She was too busy watching a certain sleeping blonde girl to notice. Shikamaru stared off at the colored clouds, his arm around Ino's shoulders while Ino laid her head onto his chest.

"We're sitting here." Naruto said, pointing to a seat in the middle of the bus. It was away from the kids and counselors, and to anyone but the dobe it would seem very strange. But he knew that fighting with Naruto when he was this determined was pointless.

"Fine." Sasuke moved into the seat, glancing out the window. Naruto still held onto his hand, and he hadn't spoken up about it.

"What the hell just happened?!" Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked back to the flustered boy, who couldn't seem to meet his gaze. But the tightening on his hand proved to Sasuke that Naruto was nervous.

"I believe you kissed me."

"Arg! That's not what I meant." Clearly frustrated and confused, the younger boy ran his other hand through his hair. Sasuke smirked as he watched Naruto's slow breathing, taking his advice from before. "None of that was supposed to happen."

"I could have told you that."

"I mean with _you_."

"I was the only one there."

"I wasn't supposed to think of you though!" Sasuke blinked at the random confession. What the hell was the dobe babbling about this time? As if reading his thoughts, Naruto continued. "When we…ya know…I was supposed to think of a girl. That way I could see if it was just because my body was excited to be intimate with anything, or if it was…something weird."

"Why didn't you just think about the first time, idiot?" That got a squirm from Naruto. The embarrassed look that darkened his cheeks made Sasuke shift a bit in discomfort. He looked up at the seat in front of them, trying not to think about their previous play. The last thing either of them needed was to get aroused again.

"Because I…I didn't think of a girl. It was too hard! I wa-was trying to kiss and you were doing some weird thing with your tongue…I-I just didn't have time! So I figured 'fine, I'm an expert now, I'll do it again'. So when the opportunity rose, I just…kind of took it."

"First of all, you're no way close to an expert." Sasuke ignored the dark glare he got before he continued. "Secondly, don't use me for your tests. Find someone else."

"F-fine! I will!" Naruto pouted childishly before glaring ahead of them. Sasuke let his gaze follow, watching in amusement as the color slid from Kiba's face. But that was to be expected when someone like Neji had just found his cousin with Kiba. The girl quickly moved to sit with Neji, leaving Kiba to sit alone. After that, the two stayed silent. What seemed like forever was really only five minutes. Sasuke wasn't sure why the bus wasn't moving yet, but he didn't truly care.

"Hey…teme….you mad at me?" Sasuke looked back at Naruto, who was staring down at his lap. The half open eyes lacked their normal spark, and Sasuke realized that Naruto was staring at their hands. Even though the grip wasn't as tight as before, Naruto still hadn't let go. "Look I know this is all my fault alright? So if you want to hit me or whatever, I get it. I just…you pull this random shit, like…saying I'm different to you. Makes me feel weird…unique, special, whatever you wanna call it. And I don't understand what it is. So go ahead and make fun of me! Bring it on!"

"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the idiot sitting next to him. He should have been annoyed at the attention the blonde was bringing to them. And the hand linked with his should have never been allowed. But since it was already there, and he didn't want to lose the warmth of Naruto's fingers, he stayed silent. Using their hands, he pulled Naruto closer to him, hitting his forehead. "Be quiet."

The rest of the ride fell quiet, Sasuke not looking away from the window. He could feel the heat of Naruto's head against his shoulder while the teen slept, but Sasuke didn't care. After everything that had happened, the small touch was nothing. Instead Sasuke slid his arm over Naruto's shoulders, their hands hanging over Naruto's heart. His reasoning to the others later would be that their positioning was uncomfortable, or he was sure the dobe would fall out of the seat. Whether they all bought it or not Sasuke didn't care. Because the truth only mattered to him.

So he ignored the glances he got when he carried Naruto off the bus. The thought to shove him away was tempting, but somehow his inner voice talked him out of it. Shikamaru could take care of the kids one night without Sasuke. Hopefully when Sasuke came back, everyone would still be alive.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto asked weakly, his eyes barely opening when Sasuke put him on the bed. And it wasn't until Sasuke tried to leave that he remembered the connection of their hands. Sighing, Sasuke turned back to the blond and shook his head.

"Let go dobe. I need to go back to my room." Sasuke said, trying to pull his hand back. But even half asleep, Naruto's stubbornness knew no bounds. The hands stayed locked.

"Today was fun….can we do it again?"

"Fine. Let go."

"Promise?" Sasuke wanted to strangle him. What was his deal? But when Naruto snuggled his head into his pillow while childishly holding onto Sasuke's hand, Sasuke had a feeling his cheeks were starting to flush. Did Naruto always look this…appealing? Maybe it was the fact his big mouth wasn't running. "I really liked it there…we should…go back soon. Together."

"Yea." Sasuke looked away awkwardly, shrugging his shoulders in an effort to show he didn't care. "Whatever."

"Good…I don't like being alone…even if it's a teme like you by my side…" The mumbled words lessened in strength before Naruto fell asleep, his grip completely slacking. It was only then that Sasuke realized he was the one still holding on. And when he should have felt foolish and weak, he didn't. He just felt right. Naruto was stupid and completely unable to function on his own. It was like somehow, Sasuke had become an essential part of Naruto's life. That the teenager who snored in front of him needed Sasuke. And he wasn't positive he hated the idea.

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he stayed there; holding onto the dobe's hand and watching him sleep. He was sure it was much longer than he expected, because Kiba came in seconds after Sasuke had finally let go. Sasuke didn't speak to Kiba as he moved to leave. He didn't see it as necessary. The night was quiet when he walked outside, the stars completely awake and shining. Sasuke scowled as he stared at them, thinking of the first night at camp. Naruto had been annoying him from the very beginning. No matter how much the two fought, they somehow found each other again, their relationship stronger than before. Sasuke scoffed and shoved his hands into his pant pockets, walking back to his cabin. There was no use denying it.

Sasuke needed Naruto too.

**Alrighty! Part two is done! Jesus that took much longer than I expected it to! But I hope that you all like it, because I'm thinking there will be one more part to it all. The most will be two more. But you all better be nice and review! Please? Haha and just think of Naruto and Kiba's heads in the sand while you wait! **


	3. Heat

Hiya! I'm back and so pumped to do this chapter because you were all so sweet to me these past few days! And yea, I guess I write pretty fast considering I'm in college and working a job, huh? Or maybe I still have no life…but it's all for the greater good! It's to make you all happy, and get my writing seen by people (since I'm planning on becoming a writher xD). So Thanks to **Ai Enmaxjigoku shoujo** for the first review, I know I'm like an energizer bunny huh? **Itooshii Koneko****, ****XxFirexDance**, and **Tarff**, THANK YOU! You all made me so happy, I wanted to cry. So here's third installment of the story!

**Warning: ****There will be some lime in this chapter. And it will be between the two cutest boys! And Shikamaru will say 'troublesome'. Haha just kidding about that last warning. Or am I…?**

**Disclaimer: ****Can I own one boy? Just Naruto? Or Shikamaru? What about Sasuke? No? Fine…jerks.**

**Heat**

The beeping noise that greeted him when he floated back to reality was annoying. Ugh and why did his face feel so wet? He moved to touch his skin, but remembered his lack of control over his body. At least his back didn't hurt anymore. During his blackout they must have moved him, because he no longer felt the rocks and dirt under him. Maybe he really had died? Damn. Guess he couldn't keep his promise after all. He wished he could have winced at the pain that hit his stomach in remembering the depressed face of that blonde haired teen. He really didn't want to be the cause of that again. He _couldn't _be the cause, even if he had to bring himself back from whatever heaven or hell he was in.

Things couldn't end this way, because he wouldn't let them. Uchiha Sasuke was not a liar, and he was going to live. Whether god wanted him to or not.

"How are his vitals?" There was a new, older voice next to him. He knew that he had heard it before, but for now he couldn't place it. He couldn't remember who it was. He waited to hear anything familiar now, because he seemed so out of place in this world he was thrown into.

"He's doing well now. The medicine seems to have started destroying the venom and his breathing has regulated. Unfortunately, our nurses and I have been unable to wake him yet. We figure he'll be awake within the next couple of hours though. Normally snake bites can have black out effects, but it's mostly from pain and not the venom. So once the pain medication gets completely absorbed into his wounds, he should wake."

"What about Naruto? Will he be okay?" Wait, Naruto? He remembered that name from his dream…had something happened to him while Sasuke was knocked out? The panic was slowly starting to swirl inside of his stomach, despite the serene look he must have held in his inactive body.

"We have a nurse checking him right now. The throwing up was just another side affect that Sasuke hadn't gotten. If you want I can bring you to him." The two voices slowly drifted away from him, leaving Sasuke feeling confused and weak. Why would Naruto be sick? Did whatever bit him come back for seconds? His head hurt from all of his thinking, and he wanted to scream. But instead, he was being pulled back once again to the haunting memories of a blonde haired, blue eyed boy who Sasuke wouldn't forget.

~**~

The weeks moved toward the middle of August quietly after the trip. And through each days of seemingly endless amount of energy Naruto brought, Sasuke could hardly tell them apart. Every night he would be exhausted, and the dobe would continue to bounce and chat. It made cafeteria duty much longer. Still, even with the lag in time, Sasuke had barely blinked before they reached the last two weeks of camp. And the only major parts left were the hiking trip and the camp festival, which was coming in two days. Sasuke was less than thrilled.

The festival was a part of the camp for the past twenty years. It was to celebrate the season of summer, and to give the kids time to enjoy games and crafts while the counselors relaxed. The only catch, which was the most unpleasing of the whole thing, was that each counselor had to volunteer at one of the stands for an hr during the day. The fair closed at night so that everyone could go to Konoha hill and watch the ceremonial fireworks. The whole thing was just pointless in Sasuke's eyes.

"I can't wait!" But the blonde was more than thrilled to take part. He jumped up from his seat in excitement, getting a glare before Sakura hit him in the arm.

"Sit down Naruto, you're gonna scare the kids!" She hissed out. Naruto didn't seem to care as he laughed and stared at the map that Kakashi had given them, pointing to several things on it.

"Look at that! They're even bringing a Ferris wheel in! And a cotton candy stand…this is going to be awesome!" Not seeming bothered by the energetic blond, Kakashi smiled.

"You can all enjoy the festivities once you've completed your volunteer work. Now I've made a list of things that you can work with, and the times they would need you. Make sure this gets back to the main cabin by the end of the night." He leaned over to ruffle Naruto's hair, who scrunched his nose and eyes in protest. "And try not to waste all of your energy during the day. The night is when things really start to get fun."

"Yea whatever, I just wanna do as much as I can," Naruto said, pushing the older man's hand out of his hair. Kakashi only continued to smile as he walked away. Sasuke scoffed and looked to the blonde.

"I say we let the carnies take him along as payment."

"Teme!" Before Naruto could lung over the table, Sakura grabbed his arm and smiled.

"Say Naruto, this is going to be your first festival, huh? Normally you and Iruka are out of town when the fourth of July carnival comes." Naruto sent a heated look at Sasuke before he dropped back down into his seat, nodding.

"Yea, he always has his summer conference in July. But since the presidents were getting switched up this year, he didn't have one. That's why I got to work here for the summer." Sasuke had almost forgotten Iruka worked for the president. It probably meant that Naruto got randomly shipped off a lot, whether to a hotel with his adopted dad or somewhere else. No wonder he disappeared once school was over every year.

"You're totally missing out. They've got rides, games, and sweets. It's like, heaven but with a lack of guy." Ino sighed and leaned her head on her arm, shaking her head. "Why is there always a lack of guys."

"Cause you scare them all away, Ino-pig." Sakura said, the two girls instantly starting to fight while Shikamaru and Kiba held them back. Or more like, Kiba held them back while Shikamaru grabbed Ino's wrist and slept. Sasuke shook his head and glanced down at the paper, skimming the possible options for what he would volunteer for. Hopefully there was one where people hardly went to, or required no human contact. Even though the only people allowed into the festivals were the people involved with the camp, there were still several other groups beside their four. And more groups meant more teenage girls who would find any way to get to Sasuke. It was more annoying flirting than he wanted on his 'day off'. Or ever for that matter.

"Hey! Let's work somewhere together teme!" Naruto's loud voice shot straight into Sasuke's ear, making him wince. Gradually he tilted his head up at the blonde standing over his, his head on Sasuke's shoulder as he stared at the paper.

"Get off me."

"What about the scrambler? No it sounds like a good ride, then I'll wanna ride it. We've got to do something that won't distract me. But nothing too boring either," Naruto continued, glancing along the choices as well. Sasuke narrowed his eyes on the blonde when he felt his back press against something hard and hot. Too hot for a summer afternoon like this.

"Dobe, let go."

"Oh hey! I've got it! Let's do the dunk tank okay? That way we can stay cool and we won't have to worry about wanting to ride anything! But if I get bored, your ass is getting dunked! "Naruto nodded, seeming to ignore Sasuke's glower. Did anything get through this kid's skull? Sasuke was starting to doubt it.

"Whatever." The grin that greeted him was enough to make Sasuke look away. Lately, it had been a lot harder to look at the dobe. Sasuke assured himself that he was being childish, and that nothing had changed between the two of them. After all, it had been almost a week since the beach, and Naruto had not made one sexual advance on him. Not that he was expecting it, since the two of them had simply been trying to scratch a mutual itch. In fact, in the situation, he was sure the blonde would have done the same thing with any person. That's what Sasuke kept telling himself. But it didn't explain the strange feelings the swelled in Sasuke whenever the dobe would smile or laugh. And the dreams? They were getting worse every night. He was disgusting himself. He was a boy, not some lovesick giggling girl.

"We should take the lunch shift so that not many people come around. The sooner we get this done, the better!"

"You're still holding onto me." Naruto glared a bit before he shoved away from Sasuke, crossing his arms and pouting. Leave it to Naruto to be the only 17 year old teenage boy to pout.

"Fine, be rude to me. I don't need you anyways!" And with that, Naruto stomped over to Kiba and Shikamaru, quickly diving into their conversation. It was impossible to understand someone like Naruto, Sasuke decided. He was just completely off Sasuke's radar.

"You know, being mean isn't going to make you feelings for him go away." Sasuke slowly glanced up to Sakura, who was also watching the blonde. She sat next to Sasuke, giggling despite his scowl. "He is pretty cute, huh?"

"No."

"Then why have you been watching over him?" Sasuke glared away, leaning back on the table and pretending not to hear her. It wasn't like Sasuke was obligated to answer the pink haired girl. "Normally people who don't answer have something to hide."

"Or don't want to answer."

"Think of it this way, Sasuke-kun." She turned her body to face him, and he unwillingly moved his attention from the blonde back to the girl next to him. "Say you were brought to the police station. They ask you if you stole something that you didn't. Then you'd obviously say no, right?"

"What's the point?"

"What I mean is, if you haven't been watching over him, you should have just said no. but you didn't, you just stayed quiet." She smiled a bit as she leaned forward, her voice too low for anyone else to hear. "Besides, I saw you and Naruto holding hands on the bus."

"It was nothing." That was the last thing that he wanted to hear. Because as soon as she smiled, he felt his cheeks starting to grow in color. In an attempt to distract her, Sasuke glanced to the sign up paper and wrote down his name next to Naruto's. "Pick your shift."

"Me and Ino are doing the face painting and temporary tattoos stand. Make sure to come over and see us, okay Sasuke-kun?" He barely nodded, moving through the cabin to get away from the others. Even though it had been over a week since Naruto and he last crossed their boundaries, Sasuke still didn't feel right. He thought the random urge would dissipate once the two of them explored. But if anything, it only seemed to make things worse. He was feeling strong emotions that were getting harder to cover up. When the blonde talked, he would listen without a second thought. If Naruto needed help or wanted company, Sasuke found himself making up excuses to go. When he saw Kiba and Naruto off on their own, he felt the urge to push Kiba away. Far away. Sasuke needed to find a way to stop this; it was getting to the point where others were noticing. And sure, Sakura was very perceptive, but so wasn't Shikamaru and Neji. This was something that those two did not need to figure out about him.

"Teme! Get inside and watch your kids!" But that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Sighing, Sasuke forced himself back into the hell hole, where four little demons liked to torture him. Five if you included a certain blonde boy.

~**~

"Come one, come all! Step right up and test you luck!" Sasuke tried not to roll his eyes at the pathetic sight in front of him. Somehow, Naruto had convinced Sasuke to stand next to the dunk tank to attract the female counselors while Naruto went into the dunk tank. And the plan had worked much better than the dobe planned, because the once lame stand was now packed with girls waiting to see Sasuke. Of course none of them were able to hit the target, so Naruto had been stuck sitting on the board for nearly forty seven minutes. Either way the carnie helping the stand was excited, because the girls were willing to spend any amount of tickets to get to see their idol.

"This stinks! None of these girls can throw!" Naruto whined, shifting around on the board. Sasuke sighed as another girl ogled him before lamely throwing the ball at the target. He wasn't even sure she reached completely.

"What did you expect?"

"I'm gonna get sunburned if I stay up here too long!"

"Deal with it."

"Teme! Can't you attract men too? I'm getting sweaty."

"I don't attract men. I'm straight." They exchanged a look for a few seconds before Naruto glanced down at the water and circled his foot in it. Sasuke simply snorted and leaned against the tank.

"Well…well whatever. Just try to get guys here! And I mean strong ones with accuracy, not like you."

"Excuse me?"

"Well you'd suck at this game. I need someone like Kiba to come over." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the statement. Hadn't they already had this argument? The basketball game should have been enough to prove how well-built he truly was. But the blonde didn't seem to remember.

"Hn." Fine. He would show him them. Moving away from the side of the dunking booth, Sasuke grabbed one of the balls that the carnie was handing the girl at the front of the line. She nearly swooned at having Sasuke so close, but Sasuke ignored it. Turning to the small target in front of him, Sasuke stopped at the line and glanced up at Naruto, tossing the ball in his hand. "Ready?"

"For what? To stay dry?" The competitive gleam was in Naruto's eyes now, grinning while he pretended to yawn and stretch. Sasuke's eyes slowly slid along Naruto's body, taking in the muscles that jumped and extended from Naruto's movements. He felt a tightening in his stomach that he ignored. The heat was getting to him was all. After a few seconds, Sasuke decided he had seen enough of the boy, and turned to face the round trigger. His mind fell back to the conversation that Sakura had tried to start. Just what was it that made the blonde completely impossible to ignore? If someone else had called him weak or stupid, it wouldn't bother him at all. But hearing it from Naruto made him want to dunk the blonde as physical proof of something he shouldn't even care about.

He didn't want to think about it anymore. He had given the dobe enough of his mental mustering. This was getting insane. So in an attempt to shut him out, Sasuke easily threw the ball into the target, hitting it hard enough to send the blond straight into the water. He smirked and looked to the tank, not caring about the cheering of his name from the crowd behind him. What he did enjoy was watching Naruto jerk back up to the surface, completely soaked from his drop. Sasuke walked over to him and shrugged, placing his hands on the top of the dunk and leaning in a bit.

"Better?" Sasuke asked, thoroughly enjoying the growl that came from Naruto's mouth. Shrugging, he placed his forehead against the bars around the tank. "You asked for it."

"Shut up you jerk." Naruto muttered, shaking his head to get rid of the water weighing down his hair. Sasuke grimaced and closed his eyes from the water assault, opening them slowly to see Naruto staring at him. It took a second to realize that their foreheads were only divided by the bars between them. He could feel some of the wet skin between the metal railings. Which meant their mouths were also a few inches from each other.

"What?" Sasuke asked, trying not to seem bothered by the new information.

"If you're so good at sports, why don't you play them?" Naruto asked, blinking.

"I don't have time to waste on sports. I've got enough to do."

"Sports are great though! That's how I met Kiba." For some reason, that bothered Sasuke. He really didn't care for the dog-loving guy who always took Naruto away. Not that he was jealous. He was only irked because Naruto always complained about being alone. But apparently not, since Kiba always popped into the picture. Like his _boyfriend _or something. He tightened his hand on the dunk tank bar next to his head. That was why it bugged him. Nothing else.

"I'm not an idiot like you two." With that, Sasuke pushed away from the booth, ignoring Naruto's shout. The time was up for the hour of 'volunteer' work. And Naruto was just too annoying to deal with. Let him hang out with Kiba. That was fine with Sasuke. The two idiots belonged together, whether the pain in his stomach wanted to listen or not.

Besides, Sasuke bet he couldn't last a whole day with the idiot before he strangled him. He walked around for a while, not going on rides or stopping for worthless stuffed toys at the games. Sasuke was not into festivals. But he needed to find something soon, because his mind was starting to dribble back to the irritating blonde. Was he so annoying that Sasuke couldn't get his mind off of him? To distract himself, Sasuke walked toward the tattoo and face painting stand that he had told Sakura he would visit. Sure he didn't want to, but it was a better hideout that any of the rides Sasuke was sure Naruto would go on.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets while he walked toward the bubbly girl, who was waving a paintbrush in her hand. Most of the people around were kids, so there was no chance of random fangirl attacks. Seeing that the seat in front of Sakura was filled, Sasuke slowly sat on the stool in front of Ino. The blonde smiled at Sasuke before pointing to the seat.

"Ha! You sat in it. Now you have to let me paint your face," Ino said, instantly pulling out a set of paints. In return, Sasuke glared at her.

"No."

"Aw come on Sasuke, it'll be fun."

"No."

"If you don't let me paint your face, I'm going to tell everyone about your secret." Sasuke's eyes widened as the blonde giggled and winked at him. Glancing to Sakura from the corner of his eyes, she seemed just as surprised as he was. Good, because if she hadn't there would have been serious issues. "You didn't think I was that dense, did you? It's practically oozing from you and Naruto!"

"It's nothing." But even so, he didn't pull away when Ino started to paint his cheek. The paint felt disgusting and cold, but he didn't complain. That was a Naruto trait, not him.

"It's no more obvious than you and Shika." Sakura said, Ino instantly blushing. Still, she didn't deny the feelings as she filled in part of her drawing.

"Where is Shikamaru anyways? I wanted to see if he would come on the Ferris wheel with me when I'm done with my shift."

"He's working over at the treasure hunt so that he doesn't have to move. He just sits at the table and hands out the instructions, then gives them the prize when they come back." What Sakura said sounded like a Shikamaru thing, Sasuke decided. He had somehow managed to find the laziest job in the entire park.

"Oh that lazy guy. What good is it?" Still, the smile curling Ino's lip was far too big to hide her feelings. Sasuke didn't comment about the looks he noticed Shikamaru send Ino, or how annoyed the guy got when she flirted with others. It wasn't his place or his responsibility to play cupid. Let the girl figure it out on her own.

"You're so mean to him Ino, no wonder you're single."

"Shut up! I don't see anyone clinging to you!"

"That's because I'm too smart to fall for any lame tricks like a walk on the beach." He could practically see the fire in both girls' eyes. But with one last stroke of Ino's paintbrush, the mood dissolved and Ino pulled back, clapping her hands together and giggling.

"Hey forehead, look at it! Isn't it perfect for Sasuke?" Sasuke watched as Sakura turned her head to look at him, smiling softly.

"It's pretty good Ino-pig. But I don't think Sasuke's going to like it."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked slowly, their secrecy becoming a nuisance.

"This!" Ino then held a mirror in front of him, letting him look at the little fox that now stared happily from his cheek. But that wasn't the worst part. It was orange. With small whiskered marks on it's face, and bright blue eyes. It reminded him of…

"Get it off."

"What? No way! I just put a lot of effort into that! It's not every day a customer gets a fox." She winked, and it was enough to start the makings of a blush. Still, he glared at her and crossed his arms. This was _not _acceptable.

"I hate it."

"Why?"

"That's not your concern."

"Because Naruto's nickname is fox? Or because the blue eyes remind you of him? Probably the color too." She laughed at his death glare. Apparently she did not have a lot to live for and wished to die. She only increased her death speed when she spoke again. "Well I think you and Naruto look cute together. And I would know, I'm very cute myself. It's like a gift that I can tell what people would look good together."

"There's nothing between me and the dobe. Get that straight."

"Not yet." Sakura must have felt the danger for her dense best friend, because she grabbed the blonde's arm and pulled her away from Sasuke.

"Don't—"

"No fair!!" The shout made both girls jump, and Sasuke tense. Slowly he turned his head back to see Naruto, his fists pressing to his sides as he scowled. The face motion scrunched up the dark blue fox that rested on his cheek, complimented with black eyes. "Why does teme get an orange fox?"

"Stop your complaining Naruto; it looks better on Sasuke's skin. Besides, I think that the two foxes complement each other nicely! Don't you agree Sasuke?" A sideward glance from knowing eyes made Sasuke move off of the stool he was on, grabbing Naruto's wrist and yanking him away from the stand.

"He-Hey! Let me go you idiot, I was talking to them!" Ignoring Naruto's complaints, Sasuke pulled the younger counselor for a minute in silence. He wasn't sure where he was going, but the idea of staying any longer with Ino and her mouth was not an acceptable answer. She had set the whole thing up. It seemed Naruto had enough walking when he jerked his wrist back, turning Sasuke to face him. "I said let go."

"Hn." Almost losing his temper and throwing the arm away, Sasuke took a moment to breath before casually loosening his hold.

"What is your problem? You're acting even weirder than you normally do."

"Stay away from Ino."

"What?! Why? She's my friend too ya know, and I can talk to her anytime I damn well please!"

"Go on rides."

"Stop telling me what to do. I should beat your arrogant ass all the way back to Ino and Sakura!" Still Naruto did not make any moves to go back.

"What were you doing there?"

"Huh? Oh…" Naruto instantly forgot his anger, and Sasuke would have snorted if had wanted to start another fight. The blonde couldn't manage to keep his attention on one thing long enough to even stay angry. If something more interesting popped up, the emotion was gone. "Well, I was actually looking for you."

"Why?"

"Well Kiba's doing his volunteer work and after he's done, he's gonna hang out with Hinata or whatever. He's hoping Neji won't be able to find them in the big crowds. So I've decided you're going to come with me on all the rides!" Sasuke stared at the laughing teen in front of him, arching an eyebrow slowly.

"Why would I waste my time with you?" The anger came shooting back as Naruto growled, throwing his fist up between them.

"Teme! You're supposed to go on rides and eat food at festivals! That's what everyone's been telling me. So you're going to come with me on these rides and we'll see how long it takes before you puke!" Sasuke remembered the conversation between Sakura and Naruto. It was the first time that Naruto had ever been allowed to come to something like this. It was no wonder he got excited over stupid stuff like face paintings and working at the dunk tank. He never had the chance to be somewhere like this before. And now he stood in front of Sasuke, telling him he had to come along. Because most likely, Naruto had no clue how any of the festival worked.

"I don't throw up." He turned away from Naruto, walking forward a bit before he glanced back, glaring. "Hurry up."

"Alright!" That laugh seeping through the air continued all day and far into the night. Naruto laughed at everything. At the end of every ride, after every prize one of them won (because he had somehow managed to convince Sasuke to play too), even when flicked a piece of cotton candy at Sasuke's nose. Sasuke didn't say much during the day, mostly watching how much Naruto enjoyed himself. He was completely childish, running around like a kid in a toy store. But he put up with it all throughout the day.

"The fireworks are going to start soon! Hurry up!" Naruto shouted from the other side of the cabin door, tapping his foot impatiently while Sasuke changed.

"It's your fault for pushing me into that counselor with the candy apple," Sasuke muttered, pulling his shirt over his head. Sasuke had to go back to the cabin to take a quick shower in order to wash the liquid candy from his hair. He would have been able to ignore the substance and continue with the rest of the night, but flies were starting to land in his hair to get to the sweet treat. That was completely unacceptable to Sasuke, who forced Naruto to come back with him to his cabin minutes before the fireworks started.

"How was I to know you couldn't keep your balance?"

"Dobe."

"You shut up!" Sasuke smirked and moved to the door, greeted with a pout he knew had formed on Naruto's face.

"You're such a child," Sasuke mumbled. Suddenly, something loud shot through the air, and both teens jerked their heads up to watch the red light fill the sky. Seeing the firework die out, Naruto groaned.

"Now we're gonna miss half of it by the time we get back!"

"So what?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

"And when we find the others, we'll miss even more of it." Naruto paused for a second before grabbing Sasuke's wrist, yanking him down to sit on the steps of the cabin. "So we'll just stay here and watch!"

"Whatever." Sasuke didn't feel like fighting, knowing he wouldn't win. Even if he outsmarted the teen, Naruto wouldn't budge unless he wanted to move. And Sasuke preferred not being surrounded by groups of girls who wanted to snuggle with him. It was too hot out for close contact. Even with his shower, Sasuke could feel some of the sweat starting to form along his body.

"Wow! Did you see that?! What kind of firework was that? It was so cool," Naruto ranted, staring as the streaks of gold slid though the sky before dissolving.

"A weeping willow."

"That's my favorite so far."

"Hn." Sasuke glanced away from the loud fireworks to glance at Naruto, taking in the image of his excited best friend. The fox from Ino was still on his cheek. Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he knew that he had avoided cleaning his face in the shower. He wasn't ready to get rid of his fox just yet. And unwillingly, he knew that he wasn't ready to let go of Naruto either. It was strange, because Naruto still annoyed him more than anyone else. He still felt the need to hit the dobe when he talked too much. But somehow, during the weeks he had spent with Naruto, the anger had changed to…something else.

His body moved without his consent, sliding his fingers through Naruto's. The touch was quickly picked up on by Naruto, who glanced over to him in shock. It was the first real touch they had encountered since the night at the beach. Sasuke clenched his fingers a bit in protest of his actions, failing in his attempt to ignore the situation. Instead, he kept his eyes on Naruto's wide gaze, which was accompanied with a blush.

"Sa-Sasuke…what are you doing?"

"Nothing." He tried to pull back, but Naruto's fingers wouldn't release his hand.

"Why did you—"

"Shut up." Sasuke looked up at the fireworks, trying to focus on the lights. It became impossible after a few minutes when Naruto grabbed his face, pulling him to met warm lips. The eager lips from their first kiss came back, and Sasuke immediately shivered. His eyes stayed half open, watching Naruto's eyelids tighten when the first brush of their tongues was made. Their bodies were turned now, the fireworks forgotten about. Finally, Sasuke succumbed to the feeling of Naruto, closing his eyes and kissing the blonde back. And like at the beach, it didn't take long before Sasuke was between Naruto's legs, their bodies pressed together hard while they continued to kiss. Sasuke braced himself on the stairs underneath, swiping his tongue against Naruto's lower lip before he pulled away.

There was a moment of silence between them, despite their heavy breathing. Their eyes were now locked, and their bodies gently continued to press against each other in curious need. Sasuke watched Naruto's soft swallow slide down a tanned neck, one that Sasuke had once been acquainted with. One he now wanted to touch again. He looked back up to Naruto's unreadable gaze, who stared at him before pushing Sasuke hard, making him stand. Their fingers were still locked, and Naruto used the opportunity to pull Sasuke up the stairs and into the darkness of the cabin.

They had barely shut the door before Naruto's mouth was on his again, the heat apparent between their lips. Sasuke would have rolled his eyes at the insanity of the situation, if not for the fact that Naruto's fingers were trembling against his. Despite all the big talk from the blonde, he was nervous. Sasuke wanted to pull away, knowing that nothing good could come from them continuing. The feelings from the beach were starting to resurface. But when Naruto's soft pant filled his mouth, he winced and pushed the blonde to his bed.

"O-Ouch! Teme, don't be so rough!" Naruto said, glaring up at him. Sasuke scoffed before returning to his spot between Naruto's thighs.

"Weak."

"You wish!" As if to prove his point, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt and pulled him down, catching his lips again. Their bodies rubbed against the other, desperate to destroy the pressure that was building. Sasuke pulled back a bit, sliding his lips down to grab Naruto's skin into his mouth, sucking his neck. The response was a tug on his hair and a hard thrust of the hips. Sasuke smirked, licking over the pulse before he glanced up at Naruto, the blonde staring fiercely down at him through a blush.

Naruto didn't stay idle long. Suddenly Sasuke found himself on his back, Naruto pinning him to the bed and grinning in victory. Sasuke glared up before trying to push him off. But Naruto wouldn't budge, true to his nature, and started to repeat the actions that Sasuke had done to his neck. Closing one eye, Sasuke had to clench his hands into the sheets to keep from pressing Naruto closer. He was able to keep his noises contained, even when rough fingers slid against the exposed skin of his stomach.

There was another silent passing between eyes when Naruto started to lift Sasuke's shirt, as if waiting for the other to speak. So of course, Naruto broke the silence.

"Damnit, lift your arms or something! I can't exactly rip the shirt off." The ball was in Sasuke's court, Naruto waiting for an answer. The line was being questioned. It should have been an easy answer for Sasuke. A simply 'get away' or 'move off' would have made it clear to Naruto that this fiasco was not supposed to go any farther than kissing.

"Hn." So why he lifted his arms and let Naruto take the shirt off would stay unanswered for the rest of the night. The blonde grinned, and Sasuke glared before sitting up, quickly making the shirt of Naruto disappear. Soon it became a contest, to see who ever could get the most clothes off the other. No matter what it was, it had to be a competition. So when he felt Naruto's mouth on his shoulder while his boxers were sliding down his thighs, Sasuke didn't allow his thoughts to go into any other meaning other than the competition. Naruto's boxers had been discarded with the rest of his clothes. The only way for the missing pieces of clothing to be found were the random flashes of light outside of Sasuke's window. Neither boy bothered to care.

Sasuke stared up at the ceiling when Naruto's mouth hesitantly explored the hardening nub that made Sasuke's body shiver. It was safe, since girls had nipples too. It was almost enough to ignore the two heated members that continued to press and rub along each other. The sweat between their bodies was from both the heat and their constant movement. Sasuke mildly reflected on his earlier thoughts about it being too hot for close contact. Even so, he hissed when a cooling breath finally brushed the happy trail of hair of his body.

Naruto paused at the sound. Sasuke pushed himself onto his elbows, looking down at the mop of blonde hair that was hovering over his stomach. Finally the blue eyes reached his gaze, and it was the first time he had ever seen flecks of shyness shine in Naruto's eyes. It made him shift a bit in discomfort before finally grabbing Naruto's shoulder, starting to push him away.

"F-Forget it. This is dumb. You're scared." Sasuke could see the sudden flash of anger in Naruto's features before he shoved Sasuke's hand off of his shoulder.

"I-I'm not scared! Especially o-over you!" It was so clear in his voice that Sasuke had almost laughed. Naruto balled his hands on Sasuke's thighs before shaking his head. "I just…well…you better return the favor or whatever."

"Hn." It was Sasuke's turn to move, catching the blonde by surprise. Easily he had him against the bed, kissing him to keep his mouth from breaking the moment. It was taking a lot of pride not to run away. Uchiha Sasuke never stopped something once he started it. This was no exception. And if Naruto wasn't going to back down, then they were going to make the biggest mistake of their lives together. No more second guessing.

"A-ah…" Naruto jerked his mouth away from Sasuke's when the older boy slid his finger along the side of the pulsing member. Sasuke watched his finger explore the silky texture that he should not have been interested in. But feeling how sensitive the loudmouth was, especially when his thumb flicked over the slit, was interesting. Naruto was easy to get verbal responses from, and Sasuke had guessed he had hated it by the way his fingers clenched into the bed sheet underneath them. Oddly enough, their hands were still locked, and only switched to get a more comfortable hold when Sasuke sat up.

"Get ready." Two things crossed Sasuke's mind that made his decision vocal. One, time. The two were lucky if they had twenty minutes before the rest of the counselors came back to their respected cabins. It would mean that they didn't have too much space to mess up. Secondly, Naruto's body was already shaking, despite the glare he sent Sasuke at the command. The dobe wouldn't last too much longer before his body would give out. And the clean-up had to be kept as little as they could make it. So, Sasuke didn't wait for a verbal response before he took matters into his own hands.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Naruto's protest was loud, and the tone almost made Sasuke blush at the positioning of his body. But pushing his pride into his head to keep him going, Sasuke straddled the boy's chest while he leaned down, sliding his mouth on Naruto's cock. The loud gasp and tightening of fingers on his hand showed Sasuke that Naruto enjoyed the motion. He felt the arch of Naruto's chest against his heated member, brushing the tip in a way that made him shut his eyes. He sucked hard against the head in his mouth, hoping even the idiot would understand what Sasuke was thinking. It seemed forever before a shaky hand grabbed around his outer thigh, pulling him slowly backwards. Sasuke's lips tightened on Naruto's body when wetness engulfed his member. It was no wonder the younger boy had reacted so wildly.

Keeping his composure, Sasuke slowly stared to stroke the arousal with his mouth, letting his tongue participate in the need to finish the boy underneath him. He felt exposed letting his hips rest over Naruto's mouth, but trying to convince Naruto to be on top would have taken too much time. And the sensations of Naruto's hesitations making his mouth barely brushing his heated flesh before returning to lap at the pre-cum was quickly bringing Sasuke to the edge.

Focusing on the task at hand, Sasuke dipped lower to take as much as he could before his gag reflex could kick in. The sudden pressure must have been too much for the blonde, because the tenseness of his body was followed by a shot of cum. Sasuke's eyes shut almost painfully when he felt the vibrations of Naruto's moan against his cock, making it easily tip over the edge. He tried to keep his hips from jerking from an unspeakable high, unlike the bucking boy beneath him. He pulled back a bit to keep Naruto from chocking him, his body's waves of pleasure seeming to null out the bitter taste in his mouth. It was an erotic mix that Sasuke never thought he would feel.

Finally, after the final swallow of the liquid in his mouth, Sasuke pulled back from Naruto's body. He waited to feel the release of his own member before slowly moving to the side, pushing himself to his knees to keep from falling onto the bed. He finally let go of Naruto's hand, the first lost of complete connection since they had started this…thing.

"Get up." He mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before forcing his legs to work. He sluggishly threw on his clothes, grimacing at the feel of sweat and saliva pressing into his shorts. He kept his shirt off, deciding he could get away with the action without any suspicions. Looking over to Naruto, he felt his body twitch. The skin of the tanned boy was littered with sweat and marks from Sasuke, the most peaceful look Sasuke had ever seen resting on the blonde's face. His leg hung limply off the side of the bed, giving Sasuke a perfect view of the area his mouth had gotten familiar with. Glancing away, he grabbed Naruto's clothes and moved to the side of his bed. "The others will be here soon."

"S-Shut up. Give me a…a minute." Naruto sent him a half open look, a deep blush coloring his cheeks.

"We don't have a minute, dobe." Seeing that Naruto was in no mood to move, Sasuke scowled. Apparently, the idiot couldn't function at the moment. Glancing to the clock to see the fireworks had finished a couple minutes before, Sasuke grabbed one of Naruto's legs, jerking his clothes on. If it was Naruto's bed, he would have just let blonde stay naked and left the cabin. But no, it had to be his. And Shikamaru finding a naked Naruto in his bed was not going to be easy to explain.

The skin was still hot under Sasuke's fingers, and he tried not to let his hands linger when they met the curve of Naruto's ass. It was ridiculous how the younger counselor got to him. It was unexplainable, and completely unacceptable. He glanced to the smaller hand lying on the bed, and mentally cursed himself. Why had he grabbed it? Why didn't he protest the kiss, or the bed, or _anything_ that happened?

"I'm not a baby. Knock it off." Naruto muttered, smacking Sasuke's fingers from his shorts, tugging them up slowly and fixing them. Sasuke rolled his eyes and glanced out the window, keeping his eyes away from Naruto.

"Sure act like one."

"Teme." There was no force behind the insult, and Sasuke sighed.

"The fireworks are over. The others are going to be coming back." Finally Naruto sat up, quickly grabbing his shirt and sliding it over his body.

"Damn! I didn't get to see the finale!"

"That's your fault."

"Shut up," Naruto snapped out. Sasuke glanced back at him, and the meeting of gazes brought about the awkwardness Sasuke knew was coming. He saw Naruto's eyes darken and try to narrow. After a few moments, Naruto glared away and pushed off of the bed, grabbing his shoes and throwing them on. "I'm leaving."

"Fine."

"Good!" Naruto stormed to the door, throwing it open. But he didn't move, staring out the doorway, his hand clenched against the door knob. Slowly, he looked back at Sasuke, the hesitation he rarely showed back again. "Hey…uh…..I was better this time…right?"

"What?"

"You know…with the kissing…" Sasuke wanted to snort at how weak the usually bold boy sounded. He refrained himself when he saw how serious the look had gotten in Naruto's eyes.

"I didn't suffocate," Sasuke replied, shrugging. Instantly blue eyes perked, and he grinned despite the flush on his face.

"Just you wait teme! Next time, I'll knock your socks right off you!" And with that and a laugh, Naruto ran out of the cabin. Sasuke shook his head, glancing out the window to watch Naruto sprint to his cabin. Once the teen had left his sights, Sasuke sighed and fell back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in confusion. Because Naruto had said 'next time', and Sasuke wasn't sure how to take that.

And he was even more confused for the next couple days of camp. Neither boy had really spoken about it, but there had become a routine hand grab every night. The two would work on the cafeteria duties, finish with some type of argument, and stay silent the entire way home. But for some reason, Naruto always grabbed his hand. Maybe he needed the confirmation that someone was there with him. He was always going on about being alone. And during the day, he was busy bugging the others and fighting with Kiba. But at night, they were gone. Everyone except Sasuke.

So now, while they walked out of the cafeteria on the Monday before the hiking trip, he felt a brush of Naruto's fingers against his hand. Sasuke stared forwards, leaving his hand limp against his side. If the dobe wanted to do it, that was his choice. He glanced slowly from the corner of his eye, watching the blonde bite his lower lip while balling his hand against his side. It was a fight Sasuke knew he wouldn't win. They crossed the middle of the campground before he felt another brush against his hand. But this time, when his hand swung back from the normal sway of his body, Naruto grabbed onto it. Their fingers locked, and Sasuke let out a soft sigh. He never pulled away. Whenever he asked himself, he wasn't sure why he let Naruto hold his hand. All he knew was that the feeling that twitched in his heart was hard to ignore.

"Sasuke?" Sasuke glanced over to Naruto, stopping when they reached the cabins. It was the first time either of them had spoken during their walks back from the cafeteria.

"Dobe." Naruto still hadn't let go of his hand. The two connected limbs hung between them, in an awkward way that had Sasuke ready to pull away. The last thing he wanted was for someone to see them and get the wrong idea. He paused for a second at the unconscious realization that he wasn't sure which assumption was the wrong one. But instead of voicing this _crazy_ thought, he glared at the blonde. "Speak."

"Guess it does make you mad, huh?"

"What?"

"This. Reminds you of that night, huh?" Finger's gently squeezed Sasuke's hand, making him scoff but not speak. Naruto shrugging and looking up at the sky. "Figures you'd get all on weird on me."

"Says the one holding my hand," Sasuke replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Then tell me to let go and I will." There was a pause in the air, but no movement to pull away. "You think about it too, huh?"

"Hn." The night was able to cover Sasuke's blush. It was true, whether he wanted to admit it or not. That night was still fresh in his head, and he couldn't shake the sensations that lurked in his mind while he slept.

"What's wrong with us?" Sasuke looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, waiting for him to continue. "We're not ugly, ya know? Sure I'm hotter than you, but still. You're not too bad. And I'm sure you'd have no problem with getting one of those girls to…well, ya know, do _that_ for you."

"I could, you're right."

"Then why did you let me?" Funny, Sasuke had just been thinking the same thing. They had gone farther than anything Sasuke had planned when he grabbed Naruto's hand that night. But seeing Naruto act out what Sasuke had been seeing in his dreams was something he could never had pushed away from. Why he sucked Naruto off in return made no sense to him. Then again, none of this did.

"I shouldn't have." He didn't flinch when he saw the pain in Naruto's features. It was the truth after all. Because 'shouldn't have' and 'didn't want to' were two completely different things. So forcing his eyes to narrow, he made sure his voice was not shaking while he spoke. "You're an annoyance, immature, and obnoxious. There's no reason why that night should have happened."

"You're an ass!" Naruto jerked his hand back, fisting it before he punched Sasuke hard across the face. Sasuke stumbled a bit, Naruto not waiting for him to regain his footing before knocking him on the ground and starting to punch him again. Sasuke finally got a hold of his bearing before he kicked Naruto off of him, rolling to pin him to the ground. He could already taste the copper blood in his mouth, and he spit it to the side before glaring down at Naruto. Anger filled the blonde's face as he jerked around underneath Sasuke, growling. "Let me go!"

"Knock it off. You're acting childish," Sasuke snapped out.

"I'm being childish? You…you…" Naruto stopped his movements, his focus completely on Sasuke's gaze. The pain swirling inside the blue irises was almost enough to make Sasuke look away. "You're the one being childish, Sasuke. You're supposed to be my…my best friend damnit! Damnit Sasuke!" Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and gritting his teeth. "And you….you can't even admit that what happened that night wasn't just us being fucking horny? Don't feed me that! It was something else. You could have had Sakura, Ino, any of those stupid fan girls! If this was how you were going to act, why did you do it?

"I'm not some random person you know! You go off, ranting about how someone will want me, someone will kiss me and touch me and all that shit that you could have handed to you on a silver plate! But that's not enough, is it Sasuke? Was I a joke? A way to see if you could push me till I broke? To see if Uchiha Sasuke could play with the little freak Uzumaki Naruto? Or were you bored? Answer me damnit! Why did you do it, you stupid bastard? Why?!"

Sasuke didn't answer. He couldn't, to be honest. By the end of Naruto's tirade, the teen had fallen apart under him. Angry tears were in his eyes, threatening to spill at any second. The trembling beneath him was almost violent, and he could see blood dripping down from one of Naruto's fisted hands. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. What could he say? Naruto was right. Sasuke could have been with anyone, it wasn't a matter of lack of amount. And when he was with Naruto, he could have pretended he was a girl. But he hadn't. He had said Naruto's name in his head, and was sure that feeling Naruto's body arch against his felt completely surreal. It felt too right. He wasn't testing Naruto at all. In fact, it was the first time in his life that he had taken pleasure in someone else's happiness. He _enjoyed _seeing Naruto cum. Sure, some of it was because the loudmouth finally put his lips to good use, but there was something else.

"Go to bed, Naruto. We have to hike tomorrow." But in the end, Sasuke couldn't say it. He pushed himself up onto his feet, not allowing himself to look back to Naruto while he walked. Sasuke knew his hand was shaking at his side, and his heart was unbelievably tight. It was starting to make it hard to breath. He wasn't sure if the weak call of his name was from the blonde of from his memories of Naruto from the festival. Knowing his decision to leave Naruto alone while he shut the door to his cabin was the worst thing he could have done, Sasuke went to bed. Or rather, laid in his bed all night and stared out the window. He had hurt Naruto.

And it was internally killing him.

**Yes, I know you all hate me right now. But it'll end happy!! –hides- please don't hurt me. I worked pretty hard on this, and I am really excited to put it up. Poor Naruto. My baby!! I felt horrible writing that part, but its life…-sighs-. So there's one more chapter left! Sasuke will finally wake up! But what about him and Naruto? Well I'm not sure, =P. You'll just have to review and find out! Oh! And I'm going to be working on a new one-shot (might be an actual one shot for once….-reads idea-…no it wont be). So keep an eye out for me! **


	4. Awake

Hello! Well this is the last chapter of this one-shot…that's really not a one-shot….-sighs- I need to fix this problem of mine. But anyways, I really hope that you like this because I'm completely nervous on how this is going to turn out! Thanks to **Yah-Oh-Ee **for the first review. **Tarff, a rather slytherin griffindor, Itooshii Koneko, Lydia-chan, add3lies, and rina **77, you all were so nice! Sorry that I made Naru-chan upset…but I proooomise it'll get better for our sweet little blonde! And I would know, since I'm the writer. –grins.- Thanks to everyone who sent me such sweet reviews! You guys are the reasons I write. So here it is! I hope you enjoy!

**Warning: ****I can't believe this is the last chapter! –cries- So yea, you better expect some lemon of a sort. And if you don't understand this is a boyxboy story from the past three chapters…I…don't know how else to make it clear. Should I shave it on a pony? Cause I will.**

**Disclaimer: **** I wonder if I said I owned Naru— -glances to sharpshooters in her window-….I don't own anything….-whimpers-**

**Awake**

No. That wasn't how Sasuke wanted to end it. He didn't want to leave Naruto like that, with that look staring up at him. He had made a promise. He had been happy. His hand felt cold and clammy against his side, nothing like the night before when Naruto had so trustingly given his for warmth. Why had he said what he had? The words had tasted like acid coming from his mouth, burning his throat to the point where he hadn't been able to breathe. But he…

He had gotten scared. When Naruto asked him why, Sasuke just didn't have an answer. Several times during the hike he had glanced to the boy, but Naruto wouldn't even turn his head Sasuke's way. The damage was evident in the excitement Naruto lacked for the last big part of camp. The weak pain in his heart, accompanied with no sleep the night before and the distraction of kids scattered everywhere had left him open. It was no wonder he fell into the hole. It was no wonder something had bitten him.

But what was strange was how Naruto had tried to save him. Naruto called out for him before he fell. He rolled Sasuke onto his back and somehow made some of the pain go away. And his memories were filling Sasuke's head. Even without knowing it, Naruto was saving him. That stupid idiot had been unconsciously saving him since the first day he had tripped over the practice dummy. The realization was so undeniable, it hurt. And Sasuke had hurt him, mentally and physically damaged the blonde. Sasuke could feel his eye lids closing tighter at the need to fix it. The doctors said he would wake up in a few hours? Forget that. He was Uchiha Sasuke, and he wanted to fix it _now. _

So he opened his eyes. At first the light blinded him, burning his irises and almost making him shut them again. But he had kept them closed to too long to go back.

"Sasuke-kun? You're awake!" Slowly Sasuke looked to his side, the blur of pink and black spots unfocused before he blinked a few times, finally focusing on Sakura and Shikamaru. "Shikamaru look! Sasuke-kun's awake!"

"Bout time. And people said I was lazy." Sasuke closed one eye as he pushed all the energy he could into his arms, moving to sit up in the unfamiliar bed. In fact, the entire white room was new.

"Where am I?" His voice lacked the strength he wanted it to, but he wasn't about to complain. Whatever had bit him had been ruthless in sucking out his energy. He was having trouble getting his bearings, and it took sheer will not to allow himself to throw up. He had heard someone say that it was a normal side affect, but Sasuke wasn't about to stoop down to being just 'normal'. Especially since the look of concern in Sakura's eyes would make it impossible to find Naruto if he threw up.

"You're in the hospital. Kakashi brought you in yesterday after the incident in the woods. You bruised up your ankle and a snake bit you." Now what Ino had said made sense. Then again, Sasuke wasn't in the state to think when he first had heard it. At that point, he was sure the pain was going to kill him.

"And now that you're awake, Naruto is going to be squirming to get out of his room."

"Room?" Sasuke asked slowly, his limbs starting to remember their functions and allowing him to rest his head on his linked hands. Shikamaru sighed, pushing off of the wall he was leaning against to move next to the worried girl.

"Yea. The crazy kid thought that the poison was going to kill you, so he sucked some of it out with his mouth before he eventually passed out from ingesting it. He was too rushed to realize he had swallowed some of it. That's why I always take things slow."

"Who let him do that? We were trained never to use our mouths in a situation like that."

"We tried to get him to stop but he wouldn't let go!" Sakura said quickly, keeping her tone soft throughout the exchange of words.

"You know Naruto better than any of us. He does what he wants, and not what he's told," Shikamaru said, shrugging and looking out the window. Seeming to find interest in the floating of the clouds, Shikamaru moved to the window to sit against the windowpane. "He only listens to what feels right to him."

"That idiot." Sasuke muttered, glaring down at the sheets resting on his lap.

"Sasuke!" Sakura had dropped the formality again, her hands balling on her lap and sending him an upset look. "How can you say that?!"

"Because he is. If he had listened to the manual an—"

"He was worried about you Sasuke! Really scared about losing you!" Never before had Sakura yelled at Sasuke. It was enough to make Sasuke ignore her cutting him off. Her mixed features of pain and sadness were only rivaled to the talk they had shared on the bus. "You should be thankful he did that. Who knows how much venom your body would have been able to withstand while you got to the hospital? Naruto didn't care about what the rules said because he only cared about you! When he saw you get bit, he was completely scared. It didn't even mattered what happened to him! He really likes you Sasuke, probably more than even you realize."

"You don't know anything Sakura." Her words were harder for Sasuke to hear than he thought. Naruto had never admitted that night that he liked Sasuke. So hearing it from Sakura was uncomfortable.

"Sasuke-kun…you are making the biggest mistake of your life. If you don't make this right, I'll never forgive you!" Sakura stared at him for a few seconds before she scowled, standing up and moving out of the room. Sasuke watched her leave and sighed, leaning back on his pillows and closing his eyes halfway.

"Women." Sasuke glanced over to Shikamaru, who hadn't taken his gaze away from the sky. He shook his head and sighed, not seeming bothered by the information he had been exposed to. "Girls are too dramatic for their own good. Sakura acts like she's angry and won't talk to you, but you know that she will. Her true feelings will change her thoughts, and she'll be listening to you again within a day. That's the funny thing about feelings. Too troublesome to be controlled or changed."

Sasuke's eyes opened completely, taking in Shikamaru's words. Naruto had been beyond anger when Sasuke had left him. In all honesty, Sasuke had thought their friendship was gone. And yet, even through the pain he knew he caused, Naruto saved him. The idiot had thrown the concern of his own health in the back of his mind, along with all the pain and anger. Sasuke's heart stopped for a moment, his fists slowly tightening in the sheets.

How did this all happen? All Sasuke planned to do was make some money during the summer. He never intended to see Naruto there. He didn't expect to find out the truth behind that goofy smile. He hadn't prepared to end up naked and panting against Naruto, or to have the boy willingly return this strange feeling. But now that he had done all of that, it was too late to turn back.

"I'm not supposed to let you leave your bed." Sasuke ignored Shikamaru, pushing himself away from the hospital bed and onto shaking legs. If he fell, he'd crawl. Sasuke was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him. So he moved to where his clothes were, not bothering to be embarrassed while he changed from the stupid gown they made all hospital patients wear. Shikamaru and him had shared a cabin, and he had boxers underneath the robe before he had taken it off.

"Where's Naruto?" He leaned on the wall for support once he finished changing and reached the doorway, not looking back at Shikamaru while he spoke.

"All I wanted was to make a few bucks being a camp counselor. Preferably with kids who didn't like to run or be outside." Suddenly his arm was being lifted, resting on steady shoulders while Shikamaru grabbed his waist. "You're really making that hard, Uchiha."

"Hn." Even if he didn't say it, both teens knew Sasuke was grateful for Shikamaru's guidance down the hallway. They stopped at a partially open door, Shika sighing before pushing it open with it foot and showing the other counselors surrounding Naruto's bed. Hinata and Kiba sat next to Naruto, Sakura helping Ino fix an arrangement of flowers on the night stand while Neji glanced at the monitor Naruto was attached to. The energetic patient was scowling at Kiba, seeming fully awake and stable.

"I didn't pass out! I just took a nap."

"You were out faster than that time Lee hit his head off of the pull up bar in gym."

"I was not damnit!"

"Were too."

"That's it! We're going to settle this right now!" Even when he was in a hospital, Naruto couldn't keep still. He would have left the bed if Sakura and Ino didn't grab his arm, not letting him move. "Hey!"

"Naruto, that's enough. The doctors said you're going to puke again if you get too riled up," Sakura scolded, Naruto blinking before he laughed.

"Aw who cares? The best people die in their own vomit! Like Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin!" Sakura moved to speak, but stopped when Ino finally noticed the two standing in the doorway.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing bringing Sasuke in here? Kakashi will flip if he finds out Sasuke's out of bed."

"It wasn't my idea." At the angry glare he got from the blonde girl, Shikamaru sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "What a drag."

"It's nice to see you're awake Sasuke." Sasuke nodded over to Neji in acknowledgment before turning his attention back to the blonde. It was apparent now to Sasuke the concern that flickered in the blue gaze before it looked away, concentrating on the wall behind Kiba.

"We were so scared when you fell. Or at least I was." Ino laughed and brushed her cheeks, unconsciously checking for tear marks before she glanced to Naruto and rubbed his hair. "But then Naruto went a little crazy and decided to play hero."

"Don't be jealous of my skill. I'm a one man curing machine!" Naruto shouted, scrunching his nose at the laughter of the group.

"You cou-could have really…really hurt yourself Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, looking at him in worry. Naruto shrugged and smiled at the girl.

"I'm fine though, so you don't have to worry about me! I'm not going to die just yet!" The words made Sasuke's eyes narrow, finally speaking.

"Everyone out. Now." The group glanced to the serious boy, who didn't take his eyes off of the now shifting blonde.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun?"

"I'm _fixing _it." The tone of his voice made Sakura relax, smiling and nodding. She glanced to the others and pointed to the door.

"You heard Sasuke-kun! Everyone out." The group of groans and sighs were meshed as she ushered the group out, everyone but Kiba moving. The brunette only crossed his arms, glaring to Sasuke and leaning back in his chair.

"What do you want with Naruto?"

"None of your business."

"Why can't you say it in front of all of us?"

"Leave."

"For all we know, you're going to strangle him while we're gone."

"It's fine Kiba, don't worry. I could take this teme any day, anytime!" Naruto punched his fist in front of him, looking to the brunette and grinning. Kiba seemed to hesitate, slowly moving from his seat.

"Fine. But I'm coming back in fifteen minutes." Kiba sent another glare at Sasuke before he left, the door clicking softly behind them. Sometimes there were people more annoying than the dobe after all. Sasuke tested his legs, which were finally working properly, before he moved to sit in the chair next to the hospital bed. Naruto's face was turned from him, staring out the window that had fascinated Shikamaru. "So I see your weak body recovered. I was up like, four hours before you were. Guess I can't expect much from such a scrawny guy."

"Hn."

"You're just lucky such an amazing guy like me was on the trip, or else you would have been toast." No, if Naruto wasn't there, then Sasuke would not have been distracted and fallen in the first place. The entire incident was his fault, not that Sasuke was going to admit it. Because admitting that would be admitting Sasuke had been thinking about Naruto a lot more than he should be. Then again, wasn't that the point of him coming here? He told Sakura he was going to fix this, but now that he was here, it wasn't as easy as he thought. In fact, since Kiba had left Naruto hadn't looked at Sasuke once. It was more than frustrating.

"If you had followed the manual, you would not have been in this situation. That's why they have manuals, for dobes like you to read and listen to. You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Yea, I guess so." Finally Naruto turned his head to look up at the ceiling, his lopsided grin attracting Sasuke's gaze. "But you know what? I don't really give a damn. Sometimes the things that shouldn't happen are the ones with the best results."

The two fell quiet for a few seconds, letting the last sentence hang in the air. There was no denying the double meaning to those words, and Sasuke could tell from the slight wince the other teen gave. Still he smiled, leaning back on his elbows to relax. Sasuke didn't like the quiet. When Naruto was loud and obnoxious, it meant he was the guy that everyone knew. But when he didn't speak, and let the silence take the lead, it was the Naruto that Sasuke doubted anyone saw. Besides him.

"You like me." Leaving it as a question would have given Naruto an escape. He could have played it off, and used a joke to tell the truth and yet seem sarcastic. But stating it like he _knew _left no room for humor.

"Who said that?"

"Sakura."

"She's pretty perceptive, ya know? I'm surprised she couldn't figure you out. If she had, she may have become your girlfriend. Then again, our condition isn't exactly curable, huh?"

"You like me." Naruto sighed and sat up, running one of his hands through his hair and glancing to Sasuke. He looked to the bite mark that marred Sasuke, and a proud smile appeared.

"Isn't the hickey enough proof?"

"The what?" Sasuke asked, placing his hand onto the skin. Naruto nodded to the mirror in the room, and Sasuke left the chair to inspect himself. Sure enough, he removed the hand to be greeted by a purple bruise around his bite. He could have passed it off as a side effect of the swelling, but the obvious discoloration made it impossible. Not to mention people had seen Naruto, and known just who had caused the blemish. He snorted, glaring back at Naruto. "You sucked too hard."

"It was payback for the extraction of the venom. Either that, or you'd owe me twenty bucks." The cockiness in Naruto's smile was plainly obvious. He stared at his work while Sasuke moved back to the side of the bed, leaning over the boy to hit him.

"Idiot."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

"You love me."

"Not yet." Now _that _was not supposed to come out. Sasuke jerked back from the bed to fall back into the chair behind him while a stunned blonde stared. The fists on his lap tightened and Sasuke was forced to look away, glaring to a random spot on the wall. This was why he hated being with the idiot. He made him speak when he didn't want to, act in ways he never had, and feel emotions he was positive weren't right. And in the end, Sasuke only regretted feeling _good _doing all of it. Especially when he managed to make the idiot in front of him smile.

"How close?"

"Shut up."

"Calm down crabby, I know not to take it seriously. Just take it back and we'll forget you ever said it, teme." Sasuke's eyes slowly narrowed at the brushing off Naruto had done.

"Don't assume you know what I'm thinking."

"I know exactly what you're thinking. And I agree." Naruto sighed and rubbed his hands against his stomach. "Now I'm hungry, so let's get some grub!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't joking." Sasuke had already admitted it, he wasn't going to again. But the constant ignoring of what he said was irritating him. And he could tell from how Naruto tried to switch the subject that he was very aware of what he was doing.

"Do you think they have ramen here? I doubt I'd be abl—"

"Naruto." Naruto tensed at his name before closing his eyes tightly. Sasuke didn't move his gaze while the younger boy stayed silent, his muscles frozen in place.

"What do you want me to say? I tried…your such an asshole. Even when I don't want to like you, I do. Even if I choose not to get close to you, I can't help it. I don't feel so alone when you're here. Your…I...what the hell teme!" Blue eyes glared up at him, but he ignored it while he pushed the blonde back onto the bed, sitting next to him. "This is my bed! Go get your own!"

"Listen, dobe, because I'm only going to say this once. And I'm not getting sappy for your pathetic ass." Sasuke pressed his finger into Naruto's forehead, keeping him from dropping or moving his head away. He studied the tan face in front of him that was scrunched in a scowl. Even when he was mad, Naruto couldn't be ugly. "I'm not going to leave you alone again."

"That's not what you said that night! You said we made a mistake!"

"That was two nights ago. This is now."

"How the hell does that matter?! You idiot, if you just change your mind any time you want, how am I supposed to trust you? You're a real piece of work, coming in here and telling everyone to leave like you're a god or something. I should've let Kiba knock you out!"

"Like that guy could touch me." Naruto growled at Sasuke's scoff, which didn't bother him. What did bother him was knowing Naruto was even considering letting Kiba try to protect him. So leaning down slowly, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and muttered out against Naruto's mouth quietly. "He couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag."

"You don't know that. You're just being a jerk again. At least he doesn't flip flop on me. I know when Kiba enjoys something or doesn't, unlike a certain guy." Alright, Sasuke had enough of the Kiba-centric talk. And hearing about Naruto using 'Kiba', 'I', and 'enjoys' was not acceptable. The only one that Naruto should care about was him.

"Shut up." Leaning down, Sasuke's lips caught the side of Naruto's neck. He smirked a bit at the shiver in response, placing hands on either side of Naruto's hips while he worked. His tongue moved slowly along the exposed skin, sucking it hard into his mouth. He felt Naruto arch underneath him, and groan when Sasuke's teeth bit slightly into the skin. Slowly Sasuke pulled back, glancing to the panting boy before skimming two fingers along the newly bruising spot resting over tanned skin. "That enough proof, _dobe_?"

"Idiot." But Sasuke was swimming in his pride when Naruto grabbed his neck, pulling him forward into a kiss. Their mouths were anything but gentle, both struggling to win the dominance in the battle. Sasuke moved quickly, his body hovering over the blonde as his tongue brushed against the line of teeth now tugging at his lower lip. Despite the erotic actions, Sasuke kept his gaze with Naruto, watching the deep pools of blue cloud with lust. Though his blonde tended to get over emotional, it made his passion twice as real. Sasuke paused in his thoughts, before smirking into the kiss. _His _blonde. That sounded right.

Suddenly something bit his ear, and Sasuke glanced over to see Naruto returning the angry stare.

"What?"

"Don't think of other things you asshole!"

"Selfish."

"Bastard."

"Jealous dobe."

"I'm not jealous!" Sasuke scoffed and leaned down, pulling Naruto's lower lip into his mouth and sucking it. Blue gradually drifted behind heavy eyelids, Naruto grabbing Sasuke's hair and tugging him into a full kiss. Both moaned at the unexpected but welcomed rub of their bodies. The sensations from the festival came back twice as hard, knowing that all the blonde wore was a pathetic excuse of a hospital gown. Sasuke let the boy underneath him take control of their pace. It amused him how eager the teen's body was, even when they were fighting. Especially the groans of disproval at discovering Sasuke's shirt was impossible to get off from the positioning of their arms.

"Times up you—what the hell?!" Sasuke groaned when Naruto jerked his head up, causing their foreheads to smash together. He ignored the dumbstruck brunette to rub the spot where he was sure a bruise would be forming. Of course Kiba had to walk in. This was Sasuke's luck after all. He felt something press to his chest, and Sasuke was greeted with Naruto hiding his face from the other counselor, who still hadn't moved from his shock. So even the blonde had moments of embarrassment.

Never being the kind to share, Sasuke glared at Kiba.

"Get out. We're busy." The words seemed to knock Kiba out of whatever he was stuck in. Quickly Kiba took a few steps back, trying to smile despite what he had walked in on.

"So…you're…not that I care, Uchiha, but…you and Naruto…?" Sasuke narrowed his gaze on the counselor for a few seconds, ignoring the nervous look he was receiving from Naruto. If the dobe didn't get it by then, he was an idiot. Well, Sasuke knew that already, but still.

"Are together. So what? Got a problem with it?"

"Huh." Kiba leaned against the doorframe, grinning and tossing his hands in the air carelessly. "Guess not. Be whatever you want, I'm not against you. Not unless you hurt fox-boy. Then I may have to tear your ass out."

"Like you could."

"I'd give one hell of a fight if you hurt Naruto. He's a good friend, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd get pissed at you. We've all seen Ino when she gets mad." Kiba had a point. The blonde could get very dangerous when angered. But Sasuke had no intention of dealing with her. That was Shikamaru's job.

"Leave." The brunette waved Sasuke's growl off before he left the room, shutting the door behind him. Sasuke slowly turned his gaze back to Naruto, who seemed completely thrown off by the conversation. There was a pause between them, which seemed ridiculous in Sasuke's mind. The two had been kissing, flustered, pressing against each other, and _now _Naruto seemed shocked? This boy's priorities were extremely deranged. "What?"

"You…you're serious. You really wanna be with me?" Naruto asked.

"You sound like a girl."

"Shut up! I'm being serious here!"

"So am I." Sasuke flicked the spot on Naruto's neck where he had marked. "Idiot, I don't go marking people for no reason."

"So you like me?"

"Hn."

"Come on, say it! Tell me you like me!" Sasuke was going to tell him to shut up and get over it. It would have been the Uchiha thing to do. Intimate situations like this were not Sasuke's forte. He moved to leave before Naruto caught his neck with his arms, pulling Sasuke back to him. The both fell hard onto the bed, and Sasuke muffled an insult into the sheet his face had fallen into. Pushing up to yell at the dobe was interrupted. "It's just…after that night, I thought you did. It's weird, liking a bastard like you. Because you won't open your mouth and tell me shit. Like if you like me…or if you wanna be with me, ya know? It gets frustrating after a while, constantly wondering."

"Hn." Sasuke pressed his hands onto the bed to pull back a bit, catching Naruto's eyes with his own. He knew the next few moments were killing the other teen, because Naruto didn't like sitting still or being in silence. Just to remind himself of who was in control of this relationship, Sasuke prolonged his answer a little longer. Seeing that Naruto was ready to burst, he smirked. "Yea, I don't hate you."

"I know you don't hate me you asshole!!"

"I don't hate being with you either."

"Stop telling me shit I already know! I'll hit you so hard you—"

"Shut up. You know I won't leave you." Naruto moved to yell again, but stopped. Apparently what Sasuke said sunk in, because the loud boy now fell quiet. He lowered his head, keeping his face out of sight. Sasuke arched an eyebrow and waited for a response, but silence became the main attraction in the room. He could feel Naruto shaking under him. He finally sighed before reaching forward, placing his palm onto Naruto's forehead. He started to lift the head in his hand as he spoke. "You're not alone, idiot."

"D-Don't." But it was too late. Sasuke had stared in slight shock at seeing tears drip down Naruto's face, while the boy's lip remained indented from the harsh biting he had done. It was obvious that Naruto had tried to stay quiet, the teen now staring to the side. He hands seemed to constantly wipe the tears that continued to drip from his eyes. "I hate you. Saying stuff like that…i-it pisses me off! I don't know how to act with you now. Nobody's ever…ever said that before. A-and you're supposed to be an asshole! Why aren't you? Why do you care?" Naruto swiped his hands across his cheek in anger, seeming frustrated at the water flow that didn't stop. After seeing the persistent boy continue to ruin his skin with the intense rubbing, Sasuke groaned and grabbed his hands, glaring at him.

"Enough." He then pulled Naruto forwards, ignoring the gasp and securing his arms around Naruto's to keep him from repeating the actions. And Sakura had said telling Naruto would 'fix' things. Yea right. "Stop asking so many questions, dobe. Accept it and move on."

"You teme…" But Sasuke didn't comment. Why should he waste his breath on a crying idiot anyways? It wasn't like anything he said would change the tears. So instead he sat back in the bed, reminding himself to scold the crying blonde later for ruining a good shirt with his tears.

Well...maybe he could let it go once.

~**~

"So you knew that fast, huh?" Sasuke shifted the cell phone to his other ear while he shook out the shirt he had been wearing, sand flying in every direction. He looked boringly up at the blonde who seemed completely captivated by the waves rushing toward the beach. What an idiot.

"Pretty obvious with the hickeys." Well, the genius had a point there. Once everyone saw that Sasuke wasn't the only one with a mark, it probably was easy to find out who the only possible culprit was. And the fact that they came together and left together during the barbeque was probably a good hint to anyone who wasn't a counselor at Sakura's 'End of the summer bash' two weeks ago. They hadn't officially said anything to anyone, but the gazes and the sounds of girls' crying over their 'lost love' was pretty obvious. Maybe they would finally leave him alone.

If he knew that was what got them to find real lives, he would have kissed the dobe as soon as he saw him.

"That the only reason you called?"

"I wouldn't waste the energy to find out something I already knew."

"Hn."

"Ino wants to know if you two want to come with the group to the movies next week. Some weird horror flick. Didn't really pay attention." With the way Ino's mouth ran, it was no surprise. The girl talked more in one day that Sasuke did in a year. And no, he wasn't exaggerating.

"I don't."

"But Naruto will."

"I don't need to tell the dobe."

"Not my job to babysit you two. But, to save your ass, Ino will probably talk to Naruto. Then you'll have both blondes to deal with." Sasuke smirked a bit and watched Naruto's slender legs kick the water back to the ocean. He was yelling at something pointless. And how Sasuke knew it was pointless was because they were the only two people who went to the Konoha beach at eight PM in September. It was freezing, and Sasuke was going to yank the idiot back to his house as soon as he was done with Shikamaru.

Oddly enough, the group of counselors stayed close even after the camp ended. They always met up (Sasuke forced by Naruto/Sakura and Shikamaru force by Ino) and did something pointless like bowling or mini golfing. Things you see those kids do in movies when the cheesy music plays and time skips a month. Honestly, ever since Naruto dug his way under Sasuke's skin, the scowling teen felt like he was stuck in a movie.

"I'm not scared of the dobe and your girlfriend." How Shikamaru ended up stuck with the chatting girl was a mystery to Sasuke. The kid hardly had the energy to roll himself out of bed to get to school. So how he managed to get with a girl whose energy was only surpassed by Naruto was a mystery that Sasuke didn't bother to figure out. He had more important things to deal with.

"Whatever." There was a pause before Shikamaru sighed. "So see you then?"

"Hn." Sasuke didn't bother to say goodbye when he hung up. It wasn't really needed between them. Sliding the phone back into his black jean shorts, Sasuke pushed off of the sand and grabbed his backpack. The dobe had _insisted _that it would be 'fun' to go to the beach after school. It hadn't. Still, Sasuke managed to get his homework done while Naruto attempted and failed to wear himself out. In fact, he looked even more energized than before when he turned to Sasuke and grinned.

"This place is awesome! Next time we should bring the gang back here. I want a rematch with Kiba anyways." Sasuke arched and eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Next time?"

"Duh."

"No." He ignored the blonde's complaints and turned around to face his car. The last thing he wanted to do was spend another day freezing his ass off while Naruto had fun.

"Teme!" Knowing the blonde better than anyone, Sasuke turned away from the attempted tackle, easily rolling over to pin Naruto to the ground. It was too easy now to win, because Naruto never changed his style of wrestling. And just like always, Naruto scowled and tried to pull himself out of the hard grip. "How the hell do you do that?!"

"I'm smarter than you. Then again, it's not hard. I'm sure Hinata's younger sister Hanabi is smarter than you."

"That's not fair, she's pretty smart for a twelve year old!" Sasuke fought back the slight smile he knew only the pouting teenager under him could create. Instead, he leaned down to keep their eyes level, speaking slowly.

"You are an idiot."

"Yea, well, you're the one who likes an idiot."

"Not willingly." Naruto growled at the remark, finally breaking the hold on his right wrist before grabbing Sasuke's neck, pulling him down closer. Sasuke could feel the younger teen's lips brush his as he spoke.

"You can leave anytime you want, teme."

"You'd chase me like a lost puppy, dobe." Naruto seemed to think the words over before he grinned, the anger from before gone. He was amazing strange that way.

"Only so I could kick your ass! You made a promise after all, and I'm gonna make you keep it forever." Sasuke sighed and pulled one of his hands from the sand to rub the annoying ache that had grown in his head. Suddenly, the idea of forever seemed much too long for him.

Until Naruto kissed him as if proving the seal of their promise was still there. Now it didn't seem long enough. Sasuke closed his eyes slowly before leaning closer, parting his lips only to push back the tongue that awaited him. If there was one thing that Naruto would never win in, it was this. Because no matter how hard he tried (and he had tried before, failing miserably), Naruto could never hide how he felt. His emotions, which were considerably high tonight considering the slight sucking against Sasuke's lip, were his ultimate weakness. A weakness Sasuke exploited every time.

"Slow down idiot," Sasuke muttered against parted lips, brushing his hands against the sensitive stomach of the blond underneath him. He got a sharp pant and an even sharper glare in return, which Sasuke brushed off. Much to his pleasure, Naruto's lack of intelligence let him splash in the water without his shirt on. He could feel Naruto's nipples tighten quickly at the brush of his fingers, and a slight hitch in Naruto's breathing told Sasuke all he needed to know. "Aroused much?"

"Shut u-up asshole. Leave it t-to you to be a ta-talker during this shit." Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand, pulling it to his mouth and nipping the tip of a finger in punishment. Sasuke pulled his fingers back a bit, though Naruto didn't let him escape too far before slipping the slim digits into his mouth. It felt strangely erotic, watching Naruto's tongue work on his fingers the same way he would to another long and hard spot of his body. He stared at the two digits that sunk easily into Naruto's wet mouth, feeling his own body twitch in response. Finally the movements became too arousing, and Sasuke jerked his fingers back. "Something wrong, Sasuke?"

"Hn." Naruto wanted Sasuke to acknowledge that he was getting better. As if he was ever going to admit that. So instead, he pulled hard on Naruto's pants, seeking revenge. The blonde whined, probably from the avoidance of his question, or the air that now pressed against his flustered skin. Sasuke didn't bother to ask while he slid his fingers down Naruto's inner thighs, using his bent knees to part the legs wider. He easily kneeled back on his legs in the sand while tracing designs into the panting boy's skin, making sure that each brush of his fingertips moved closer to the throbbing member in front of him.

Sasuke knew they were probably going to fuck on the beach. And yea, he knew it was a public area. But who else would be stupid/forced enough to go to the beach during this time of year? So he didn't bother to care about the public nudity laws while he leaned down, suckling the skin between Naruto's thigh and arousal. He received an arched back and one incoherent swear. He smirked hard enough for the blonde to feel before placing an open mouthed kiss against the side of Naruto's shaft. It pulsed in greeting, while its owner moaned.

Seeing no protest, Sasuke dipped his mouth down to encage the throbbing erection, sucking along the head in a way he had learned Naruto enjoyed. Pressing his hands against the inner thighs to keep them from jerking up, Sasuke licked the skin once with his tongue before starting a soft rocking motion with his mouth. The pre-cum wasn't the best tasting thing in world, but he dealt with it in stride. He was still an Uchiha. And with the pleasant moans and tiny arches, Sasuke enjoyed most of it. After all, it wasn't every day that Uzumaki Naruto acted so pathetic.

He had to savor it.

"A-ah…stop…da-damnit Sasuke…I said stop!" A ruff tug of his hair jerked Sasuke's mouth away from Naruto. He glared up as the unwanted pain now seeped through his scalp, and he smacked the hand out of his hair. Naruto's entire face was flushed, and the sharp movements from his chest told Sasuke just how close Naruto had been teetering. "No way am I…_ever _cuming in y-your mouth. That's like ha-handing you the fucking gun to shoot me with."

"Because you don't already look pathetic right now," Sasuke mumbled sarcastically before leaning back down, nipping the soft flesh of Naruto's thigh before sighing. "But you're an idiot if you think I'm doing anything else. We're not prepared, and It'd hurt."

"Like I'd let you ever hurt me." The cocky remark got Naruto a harsh lick against the sensitive spot between his balls and entrance. Sasuke smirked when Naruto's eyes slammed shut, a deep shiver making it obvious that Naruto was going to finish much quicker than either truly wanted. So pulling back, Sasuke sighed.

"What, you bring lube to the beach?"

"Only when I go with you. I'm more prepared then you think." The perverted grin was almost a bit embarrassing for Sasuke. For someone who hardly showed how he felt, it felt strange to talk openly about their sex life. Sure they had been 'together' for a month, and their sex lives were pretty…well…sex-filled. But that didn't mean Sasuke still wanted to hear it announced openly like that.

"Just shut up and give me it." Sasuke held his hand out to Naruto, who used it to pull the taller boy down for another kiss session. Sasuke easily found himself on his back, while Naruto pulled the bottle from the soaked shorts that laid next to them. The two exchanged glances before Naruto shrugged, starting to undo Sasuke's pants while the owner lifted his hips to help. The boxers had barely made it past his knees when Sasuke felt something wet clench around his shaft. He quickly bit back a moan while a mischievous hand worked the lube against Sasuke, doubling as a very effective handjob. Sasuke kept his eyes closed while his body trembled at the sensations. He knew if he looked, the image of Naruto touching his body would be more than enough for him to forget about Naruto's preparation. And Sasuke was not into pain on either of their parts.

He grabbed Naruto's wrist to keep him from bubbling over. The two knew each other's bodies much better than they had the first night they stumbled into a climax. But with Iruka's job keeping him out of the house during the week, and Naruto's constant need for 'tutoring', the two had managed to improve their skills tremendously. Naruto's grades still suffered.

"Enough." Naruto grinned for the second time at Sasuke's expense.

"I thought you'd say something like that."

"Your cockiness is only matched by your stupidity." Sasuke pushed up to kiss Naruto's mouth as more of a way to shut the blonde up than any romantic interest. The kiss was heated, their now bare bodies rubbing into each other. Fumbling fingers groped the ground around them, finally brushing the cool container that Sasuke had been searching for while keeping Naruto's tongue submissive. Flipping the cap open, he made sure to prepare his fingers before using his outer thighs to spread the knees that straddled his waist. It was harder to enter Naruto from this angle, but the idiot enjoyed it.

"Shit," Naruto hissed out, easing himself back a bit when he felt the intrusion. Knowing that two fingers wouldn't be too painful any more, Sasuke started to stretch the sensitive area while letting his mouth find interest in Naruto's nipple. The double sensation sent the blonde into a set of shivers, unsure of what part to focus on. He settled quickly for Sasuke's mouth when a third finger slipped its way inside. By the slight tensing above him, Sasuke knew that the first few thrusts always irritated the skin. It didn't last long though, and that was confirmed by the quick jerk back of Naruto's body. "I'm f-fine now."

"Sure?"

"I'm not a woman teme!" At Naruto's snap, Sasuke rolled his eyes. That was why Sasuke never tried to care. Because Naruto's embarrassment would always turn to anger, and Sasuke dealt with angry Naruto too much as it was. He pulled the fingers back slowly ,resting back on his elbows and watching the now irritated blonde take matters into his own hands. Stifling the moan from the sudden hand around the base of his member, Sasuke watched quietly while Naruto pressed the tip into his entrance. The concentration and lust mixed in blue eyes was erotic.

And with one final second of eye contact, Naruto slid himself completely onto Sasuke. Sasuke held his breath for a moment before closing his eyes, titling his head to the sky. He didn't care if he looked more pleased that he should. Naruto was probably too far gone from the first thrust to even notice. He opened his eyes again when one of Naruto's hand pressed to his chest, using it as leverage to start. The two moved much faster than Sasuke wanted, but in the position they were in, Naruto had control. It was why he enjoyed it so much. Since Naruto was never submissive by nature, he had to make up for the lack of control during most of their sexual encounters.

Sasuke grunted weakly when Naruto's muscles clenched around him. Naruto slid his hand forwards to the sand just over Sasuke's shoulder, allowing his chest to lean over Sasuke's. The angle changed the speed much faster, and now Sasuke could feel Naruto's shaft rubbing along his abs. he breathed through his mouth while watching the energetic blonde shut his eyes, finally seeming to hit the sensitive nerves inside of him. It made Sasuke smirk before he jerked his hips up faster than Naruto had expected.

"A-ah!" Naruto's cry was loud, and followed by several random jerks. He knew Naruto was close when two things happened. One was the feeling of the blonde's shaft starting to twitch much faster than before. But the other, more important one, was Naruto's idle hand now crept in the sand, searching for something desperately. Because Naruto's eyes were closed, Sasuke both blushed and scoffed before assisting in Naruto's search. "Sasuke…!"

The linking of their fingers was the tip off for Naruto. Sasuke arched at the moan of his name, letting his body's need overcome him. He doubted he shouted Naruto's name, but he was sure it somehow managed to slip every time he came. The jerking between their bodies heightened and prolonged their orgasms until the blonde fell against him. Sasuke braced their bodies in his elbows, his breathing heavy from their play. Naruto was no better, erratic pants heating Sasuke's ear. It took several minutes for the bodies to be cooled by the natural sea breeze.

Sasuke glanced to the locked hands to the side of his head. Naruto was curled on his chest, in one of the only times Naruto allowed himself to become weak and quiet. Sasuke still kept his composure, except in his hand. Somehow, no matter where they were, or what position the dobe discovered, their hands would have to be together before Naruto could finish. Sasuke had once tried not to let their hands touch. But after having sex for over twenty minutes and not being able to cum gets extremely painful. And Sasuke knew this because for some reason, he couldn't finish either. Whatever psychological problem Naruto had must have been contagious.

"Even after sex you scowl. There's no pleasing a teme like you." Naruto's soft mumbled turned his attention back to the blonde heap on top of him.

"Your eyes are closed. You don't know what I look like."

"You're scowling either way."

"So what?" Naruto sighed loudly, looking up at Sasuke and shaking his head.

"What are you brooding about now?" Sasuke should have remarked about the fact he wasn't 'brooding', but he didn't feel like arguing about it.

"None of your business."

"Course it's my business! You're ruining my damn afterglow bastard."

"Not like you could get it without me."

"Don't get too cocky. I don't see you fairing any better." How did he observe so much with his eyes closed? It was almost creepy.

"Whatever." Sasuke looked back to the sky, which was completely dark except for the random stars that helped keep it lit. He squeezed Naruto's hand slightly, confirming it was still there when the blonde moved his body off of Sasuke's satisfied member. Still he stayed on Sasuke's chest, the sudden shift of his head showing he was looking toward the stars too. "Someone will find us if we stay here too long, dobe. Your scream probably woke up half the town.

"Who cares? I'm fine being here."

"You're annoying."

"So what? You going to trade me in?" They glanced to each other, Naruto waiting for Sasuke's response. It took a while for Sasuke to speak.

"You'd be a mess without me. It'd be unfair to the others to make them listen to you cry." Naruto seemed to see right through his words, because he smiled and squeezed Sasuke's hand tighter than the grip Sasuke held to keep Naruto with him.

"Good, because if you did, I'd sick another copperhead on you." Sasuke blinked at the information he was never given. He had never bothered to ask what snake had almost killed him. But now he was starting to regret that.

"A copperhead?"

"Yup! Kakashi told me that by the venom in your blood, the doctors confirmed it was a copperhead!" Sasuke's eye twitched before he stared at the nodding idiot in front of him.

"Copperheads are hardly dangerous. Just a pain in the ass to deal with when they bite you."

"What?! No way! They spit out venom and shit! I saw it; I vomited it out of me!"

"Didn't you pay attention at all in class? They barely inject venom into you." Well that explained why Naruto's attempt to 'save' him was easier than it should have been. Between the pain in his ankle and the vicious stinging from the fangs of the snake, it was no wonder Sasuke kept passing out. The idiot had probably sucked all of the venom from him, and gotten the more severe side effects. It would have been funny if it wasn't his life that these pathetic plot twists kept occurring in.

"So I did all that for nothing? You stupid teme! You made it seem like you were dying or something."

"You are an idiot." Pushing Naruto off of him, Sasuke ignored the whine of complaint while he shrugged his clothes back on. The entire time, Sasuke had thought he owed the blonde his life. But in reality, it was Naruto who kept throwing himself in danger for Sasuke. The thought stopped him, slowly looking back to the muttering blonde behind him. Sure, Naruto was a pain in the ass. But in reality, that was why Sasuke had taken notice of him. His competitiveness was what got Sasuke to admit they were friends. His overload on emotions had set off their first kiss. Hell, even his stubbornness somehow made their first sexual encounter possible. It was strange, knowing that even through his negative traits, Naruto did positive things.

"Why are you staring at me?" Sasuke blinked out of his thoughts when Naruto appeared next to him, redressed and reenergized.

"It's nothing, dobe." Before Naruto could complain, Sasuke grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the car. Naruto seemed shock by the bold gesture that only he did, and Sasuke turned his head forwards to hide his blush. Never had Sasuke tried to reach out like this. It was practically admitting the truth that was so evident to the both of them, it was no wonder someone hadn't written 'Sasuke likes Naruto' in the sky. It was ridiculous to think of how easily Naruto got under his skin. He should have been bothered.

But feeling warm fingers wrap around his, Sasuke decided that he truly didn't mind.

**The End! I'm sad! Well actually I'm extremely tired, but I'm sad as well! –cries- I did enjoy writing this, and I hope that you all liked the end. I knew from the beginning what type of snake bit Sasuke, but I just thought it'd be funny if Sasuke didn't. Well now I'm going to re-read it, check for spelling and stuff, and post it! Yay! Then go to bed and hope that you all review! Thanks! Oh, and go read my new story 'Life is a Highway'! Bye! ~*Niki*~**


End file.
